HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


"On  reanluna  the  cabin,  where  icrQi immediately  tastenei.flie 
ivro  gentlemen  found   the   family  party  m  fhe   distress  t]ia.t  the 
drcnni stances  -woiild.  iiaturallv  i_-reate. 


. 


In  tlie  twinkling,  of  an  t-ve    an  Arab    sprang  from 
the  sand,  on  winch  he  had  been  t-,lee:pma.  ananas  on 


HOMEWARD    BOUND: 


OB, 


THE     CHASE 


A  TALE  OF  THE  SEA. 


BY 

J.    FENIMOBE    COOPER. 


"Is  't  not  strange,  Ctmiditm, 
'1  hat  from  Tnrentum  ;ind  Bninduiium, 
I  e  could  so  quickly  out  the  Ionian  Sea, 
And  take  in  Toryne."— SHVKSPSAKK. 


ILLUSTRATED      FRO 


M      DRAWINGS      BY 


NEW    YORK: 

W.     A.     TOWN  SEND     AND     COMPANY 
1  SCO. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

W.   A.   TOWNSEND  AND   COMPANY, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


C.    A.    ALVORD,   STEREOTYPES    AND    PRINTER,   NEW    YORK. 


PREFACE. 


IN  one  respect,  this  book  is  a  parallel  to  Franklin's 
well-known  apologue  of  the  hatter  and  his  sign.  It 
was  commenced  with  a  sole  view  to  exhibit  the  pres 
ent  state  of  society  in  the  United  States,  through  the 
agency,  in  part,  of  a  set  of  characters  with  different 
peculiarities,  who  had  freshly  arrived  from  Europe,  and 
to  whom  the  distinctive  features  of  the  country  would 
be  apt  to  present  themselves  with  greater  force,  than 
to  those  who  had  never  lived  beyond  the  influence  of 
the  things  portrayed.  By  the  original  plan,  the  work 
was  to  open  at  the  threshold  of  the  country,  or  with 
the  arrival  of  the  travellers  at  Sandy  Hook,  from 
which  point  the  tale  was  to  have  been  carried  regu 
larly  forward  to  its  conclusion.  But  a  consultation 
with  others  has  left  little  more  of  this  plan  than  the 
hatter's  friends  left  of  his  sign.  As  a  vessel  was  intro 
duced  in  the  first  chapter,  the  cry  was  for  "more  ship," 
until  the  work  has  become  "  all  ship ;"  it  actually 
closing  at,  or  near,  the  spot  where  it  was  originally 
intended  it  should  commence.  Owing  to  this  diversion 
from  the  author's  design — a  design  that  lay  at  the  bot 
tom  of  all  his  projects — a  necessity  has  been  created  of 


VL  PREFACE. 

running  the  tale  through  two  separate  works,  or  of 
making  a  hurried  and  insufficient  conclusion.  The 
former  scheme  has,  consequently,  been  adopted. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  interest  of  the  narrative  will  not 
be  essentially  diminished  by  this  arrangement. 

There  will  be,  very  likely,  certain  imaginative  per 
sons,  who  will  feel  disposed  to  deny  that  every  minute 
event  mentioned  in  these  volumes  ever  befell  one  and 
the  same  ship,  though  ready  enough  to  admit  that  they 
may  very  well  have  occurred  to  several  different  ships ; 
a  mode  of  commenting  that  is  much  in  favor  with 
your  small  critic.  To  this  objection,  we  shall  make 
but  a  single  answer.  The  caviller,  if  any  there  should 
prove  to  be,  is  challenged  to  produce  the  log-book  of 
the  Montauk  London  packet,  and  if  it  should  be  found 
to  contain  a  single  sentence  to  controvert  any  one  of 
our  statements  or  facts,  a  frank  recantation  shall  be 
made.  Captain  Truck  is  quite  as  wrell  known  in  New 
York  as  in  London  or  Portsmouth,  and  to  him  also  we 
refer  with  confidence,  for  a  confirmation  of  all  we  have 
said,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  the  little  occa 
sional  touches  of  character  that  may  allude  directly  to 
himself.  In  relation  to  the  latter,  Mr.  Leach,  and  par 
ticularly  Mr.  Saunders,  are  both  invoked  as  unimpeach 
able  witnesses. 

Most  of  our  readers  will  probably  know  that  all 
which  appears  in  a  New  York  journal  is  not  necessa 
rily  as  true  as  the  Gospel.  As  some  slight  deviations 
from  the  facts  accidentally  occur,  though  doubtless  at 
very  long  intervals,  it  should  not  be  surprising  that 
they  sometimes  omit  circumstances  that  are  quite  as 
veracious  as  any  thing  they  do  actually  utter  to  the 
world.  No  argument,  therefore,  can  justly  be  urged 


PREFACE.  VU 

against  the  incidents  of  this  story,  on  account  of  the 
circumstance  of  their  not  being  embodied  in  the  regu 
lar  marine  news  of  the  day. 

Another  serious  objection  on  the  part  of  the  Ameri 
can  reader  to  this  work  is  foreseen.  The  author  has 
endeavored  to  interest  his  readers  in  occurrences  of  a 
date  as  antiquated  as  two  years  can  make  them,  when 
he  is  quite  aware,  that,  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  a 
state  of  society  in  which  there  was  no  yesterday,  it 
would  have  been  much  safer  to  anticipate  things,  by 
laying  his  scene  two  years  in  advance.  It  is  hoped, 
however,  that  the  public  sentiment  will  not  be  out 
raged  by  this  glimpse  at  antiquity,  and  this  the  more 
so,  as  the  sequel  of  the  tale  will  bring  down  events 
within  a  year  of  the  present  moment. 

Previously  to  the  appearance  of  that  seuqel,  how 
ever,  it  may  be  well  to  say  a  few  words  concerning  the 
fortunes  of  some  of  our  characters,  as  it  might  be  en 
attendant. 

To  commence  with  the  most  important :  the  Mon- 
tauk  herself,  once  deemed  so  "splendid"  and  con 
venient,  is  already  supplanted  in  the  public  favor  by  a 
new  ship ;  the  reign  of  a  popular  packet,  a  popular 
preacher,  or  a  popular  anything-else,  in  America,  being 
limited,  by  a  national  esprit  de  corps,  to  a  time  mate 
rially  shorter  than  that  of  a  lustre.  This,  however,  is 
no  more  than  just ;  rotation  in  favor  being  as  evidently 
a  matter  of  constitutional  necessity,  as  rotation  in  office. 

Captain  Truck,  for  a  novelty,  continues  popular,  a 
circumstance  that  he  himself  ascribes  to  the  fact  of  his 
being  still  a  bachelor. 

Toast  is  promoted,  figuring  at  the  head  of  a  pantry 
quite  equal  to  that  of  his  great  master,  who  regards 


PREFACE. 


his  improvement  with  some  such  eyes  as  Charles  the 
Twelfth  of  Sweden  regarded  that  of  his  great  rival 
Peter,  after  the  affair  of  Pultowa. 

Mr.  Leach  now  smokes  his  own  cigar,  and  issues  his 

O         ' 

own  orders  from  a  monkey  rail,  his  place  in  the  line 
being  supplied  by  his  former  "  Dickey."  He  already 
speaks  of  his  great  model,  as  of  one  a  little  antiquated, 
it  is  true,  but  as  a  man  who  had  merit  in  his  time, 
though  it  was  not  the  particular  merit  that  is  in  fashion 
to-day. 

Notwithstanding  these  little  changes,  which  are  per 
haps  inseparable  from  the  events  of  a  period  so  long  as 
two  years  in  a  country  so  energetic  as  America,  and  in 
which  nothing  seems  to  be  stationary  but  the  ages  of 
Tontine  nominees  and  three-life  leases,  a  cordial  esteem 
was  created  among  the  principal  actors  in  the  events 
of  this  book,  w7hich  is  likely  to  outlast  the  passage,  and 
which  will  not  fail  to  bring  most  of  them  together 
again  in  the  sequel. 

April,  1838. 


HOMEWARD  BOUND. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"  An  inner  room  I  have, 

"Where  thou  shalt  rest  and  some  refreshment  take, 
And  then  we  will  more  fully  talk  of  this." 

OKRA. 

THE  coast  of  England,  though  infinitely  finer  than  our  own, 
is  more  remarkable  for  its  verdure,  and  for  a  general  appearance 
of  civilization  than  for  its  natural  beauties.  The  chalky  cliffs 
may  seem  bold  and  noble  to  the  American,  though  compared 
to  the  granite  piles  that  buttress  the  Mediterranean  they  are 
but  molehills ;  and  the  travelled  eye  seeks  beauties  instead,  in 
the  retiring  vales,  the  leafy  hedges,  and  the  clustering  towns 
that  dot  the  teeming  island.  Neither  is  Portsmouth  a  very  fa 
vorable  specimen  of  a  British  port,  considered  solely  in  reference 
to  the  picturesque.  A  town  situated  on  a  humble  point,  and 
fortified  after  the  manner  of  the  Low  Countries,  with  an  excel 
lent  haven,  suggests  more  images  of  the  useful  than  of  the 
pleasing;  while  a  background  of  modest  receding  hills  offers 
little  beyond  the  verdant  swales  of  the  country.  In  this  respect 
England  itself  has  the  fresh  beauty  of  youth,  rather  than  the 
mellowed  hues  of  a  more  advanced  period  of  life ;  or  it  might 
be  better  to  say,  it  has  the  young  freshness  and  retiring  sweet 
ness  that  distinguish  her  females,  as  compared  with  the  warmer 
tints  of  Spain  and  Italy,  and  which,  women  and  landscape  alike, 
need  the  near  view  to  be  appreciated. 

Some  such  thoughts  as  these  passed  through  the  mind  of  the 


10  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

traveller  who  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  packet  Montauk,  resting 
an  elbow  on  the  quarter-deck  rail,  as  he  contemplated  the  view 
of  the  coast  that  stretched  before  him,  east  and  west,  for  leagues. 
The  manner  in  which  this  gentleman,  whose  temples  were 
sprinkled  with  gray  hairs,  regarded  the  scene,  denoted  more  of 
the  thoughtfulness  of  experience,  and  of  tastes  improved  by 
observation,  than  it  is  usual  to  meet  amid  the  bustling  and 
common-place  characters  that  compose  the  majority  in  almost 
every  situation  of  life.  The  calmness  of  his  exterior,  an  ait- 
removed  equally  from  the  admiration  of  the  novice  and  the 
superciliousness  of  the  tyro,  had,  indeed,  so  strongly  distin 
guished  him  from  the  moment  he  embarked  in  London  to  that 
in  which  he  was  now  seen  in  the  position  mentioned,  that  several 
of  the  seamen  swore  he  was  a  man-of-war's-man  in  disguise. 
The  fair-haired,  lovely,  blue-eyed  girl  at  his  side,  too,  seemed  a 
softened  reflection  of  all  his  sentiment,  intelligence,  knowledge, 
tastes,  and  cultivation,  united  to  the  artlessness  and  simplicity 
that  became  her  sex  and  years. 

"  We  have  seen  nobler  coasts,  Eve,"  said  the  gentleman, 
pressing  the  arm  that  leaned  on  his  own ;  "  but,  after  all,  Eng 
land  will  always  be  fair  to  American  eyes." 

"  More  particularly  so  if  those  eyes  first  opened  to  the  light 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  father." 

"You,  at  least,  my  child,  have  been  educated  beyond  the 
reach  of  national  foibles,  whatever  may  have  been  my  own  evil 
fortune ;  and  still,  I  think  even  you  have  seen  a  great  deal  to 
admire  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  this  coast." 

Eve  Effingham  glanced  a  moment  towards  the  eye  of  her 
father,  and  perceiving  that  he  spoke  in  playfulness,  without  suf 
fering  a  cloud  to  shadow  a  countenance  that  usually  varied  with 
her  emotions,  she  continued  the  discourse,  which  had,  in  fact, 
only  been  resumed  by  the  remark  first  mentioned. 

"  I  have  been  educated,  as  it  is  termed,  in  so  many  different 
places  and  countries,"  returned  Eve,  smiling,  that  I  sometimes 
fancy  I  was  born  a  woman,  like  my  great  predecessor  and  name- 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  11 

sake,  the  mother  of  Abel.  If  a  congress  of  nations,  in  the  way 
of  masters,  can  make  one  independent  of  prejudice,  I  may  claim 
to  possess  the  advantage.  My  greatest  fear  is,  that  in  acquiring 
liberality,  I  have  acquired  nothing  else." 

Mr.  Effingham  turned  a  look  of  parental  fondness,  in  which 
parental  pride  was  clearly  mingled,  on  the  face  of  his  daughter, 
and  said  with  his  eyes,  though  his  tongue  did  not  second  the 
expression,  "  This  is  a  fear,  sweet  one,  that  none  besides  thyself 
would  feel." 

"  A  congress  of  nations,  truly  !"  muttered  another  male  voice 
near  the  father  and  daughter.  "  You  have  been  taught  music 
in  general,  by  seven  masters  of  as  many  different  states,  besides 
the  touch  of  the  guitar  by  a  Spaniard ;  Greek  by  a  German  ; 
the  living  tongues  by  the  European  powers ;  and  philosophy  by 
seeing  the  world ;  and  now,  with  a  brain  full  of  learning,  fingers 
full  of  touches,  eyes  full  of  tints,  and  a  person  full  of  grace,  your 
father  is  taking  you  back  to  America,  to  '  waste  your  sweetness 
on  the  desert  air.'  " 

"  Poetically  expressed,  if  not  justly  imagined,  cousin  Jack," 
returned  the  laughing  Eve ;  "  but  you  have  forgot  to  add,  and  a 
heart  full  of  feeling  for  the  land  of  my  birth." 

"  We  shall  see,  in  the  end." 

"  In  the  end,  as  in  the  beginning,  now  and  for  evermore." 

"  All  love  is  eternal  in  the  commencement." 

"  Do  you  make  no  allowance  for  the  constancy  of  woman  ? 
Think  you  that  a  girl  of  twenty  can  forget  the  country  of  her 
birth,  the  land  of  her  forefathers — or,  as  you  call  it  yourself 
when  in  a  good  humor,  the  land  of  liberty  ?" 

"  A  pretty  specimen  you  will  have  of  its  liberty !"  returned 
the  cousin,  sarcastically.  "After  having  passed  a  girlhood  of 
wholesome  restraint  in  the  rational  society  of  Europe,  you  are 
about  to  return  home  to  the  slavery  of  American  female  life, 
just  as  you  are  about  to  be  married  !" 

"  Married  !  Mr.  Effingham  ? 

"  I  suppose  the  catastrophe  will  arrive,  sooner  or  later ;  and 


12  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

it  is  more  likely  to  occur  to  a  girl  of  twenty  than  to  a  girl 
of  ten." 

"  Mr.  John  Effingham  never  lost  an  argument  for  the  want 
of  a  convenient  fact,  my  love,"  the  father  observed,  by  way  of 
bringing  the  brief  discussion  to  a  close.  "  But  here  are  the 
boats  approaching ;  let  us  withdraw  a  little,  and  examine  the 
chance  medley  of  faces  with  which  we  are  to  become  familiar 
by  the  intercourse  of  a  month." 

"  You  will  be  much  more  likely  to  agree  on  a  verdict  of  mur 
der,"  muttered  the  kinsman. 

Mr.  Effingham  led  his  daughter  into  the  hurricane-house — or, 
as  the  packet-men  quaintly  term  it,  the  coacA-house,  where  they 
stood  watching  the  movements  on  the  quarter-deck  for  the  next 
half  hour ;  an  interval  of  which  we  shall  take  advantage  to 
touch  in  a  few  of  the  stronger  lights  of  our  picture,  leaving  the 
softer  tints  and  the  shadows  to  be  discovered  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  artist  "  tells  the  story." 

Edward  and  John  Effingham  were  brothers'  children  ;  were 
born  on  the  same  day  ;  had  passionately  loved  the  same  woman, 
who  had  preferred  the  first  named,  and  died  soon  after  Eve  was 
born ;  had,  notwithstanding  this  collision  in  feeling,  remained 
sincere  friends,  and  this  the  more  so,  probably,  from  a  mutual 
and  natural  sympathy  in  their  common  loss ;  had  lived  much 
together  at  home,  and  travelled  much  together  abroad,  and  were 
now  about  to  return  in  company  to  the  land  of  their  birth,  after 
what  might  be  termed  an  absence  of  twelve  years ;  though  both 
had  visited  America  for  short  periods  in  the  intervals, — John 
not  less  than  five  times. 

There  was  a  strong  family  likeness  between  the  cousins,  their 
persons  and  even  features  being  almost  identical  5  though  it  was 
scarcely  possible  for  two  human  beings  to  leave  more  opposite 
impressions  on  mere  casual  spectators  when  seen  separately. 
Both  were  tall,  of  commanding  presence,  and  handsome  ;  while 
one  was  winning  in  appearance,  and  the  other,  if  not  positively 
forbidding,  at  least  distant  and  repulsive.  The  noble  outline 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  18 

of  face  in  Edward  Effingham  had  got  to  be  cold  seventy  in  that 
of  John ;  the  aquiline  nose  of  the  latter,  seeming  to  possess  an 
eagle-like  and  hostile  curvature, — his  compressed  lip,  sarcastic 
and  cold  expression,  and  the  fine  classical  chin,  a  feature  in 
which  so  many  of  the  Saxon  race  fail,  a  haughty  scorn  that 
caused  strangers  usually  to  avoid  him.  Eve  drew  with  great 
facility  and  truth ;  and  she  had  an  eye,  as  her  cousin  had  rightly 
said,  "full  of  tints."  Often  and  often  had  she  sketched  both  of 
these  loved  faces,  arid  never  without  wondering  wherein  that 
strong  difference  existed  in  nature  which  she  had  never  been 
able  to  impart  to  her  drawings.  The  truth  is,  that  the  subtle 
character  of  John  Efrmgham's  face  would  have  puzzled  the  skill 
of  one  who  had  made  the  art  his  study  for  a  life,  and  it  utterly 
set  the  graceful  but  scarcely  profound  knowledge  of  the  beautiful 
young  painter  at  defiance.  All  the  points  of  character  that 
rendered  her  father  so  amiable  and  so  winning,  and  which  were 
rather  felt  than  perceived,  in  his  cousin  were  salient  and  bold, 
and  if  it  may  be  thus  expressed,  had  become  indurated  by 
mental  suffering  and  disappointment. 

The  cousins  were  both  rich,  though  in  ways  as  opposite  as 
their  dispositions  and  habits  of  thought.  Edward  Effingham 
possessed  a  large  hereditary  property,  that  brought  a  good  in 
come,  and  which  attached  him  to  this  world  of  ours  by  kindly 
feelings  towards  its  land  and  water;  while  John,  much  the 
wealthier  of  the  two,  having  inherited  a  large  commercial  for 
tune,  did  not  own  ground  enough  to  bury  him.  As  he  some 
times  deiidingly  said,  he  "  kept  his  gold  in  corporations,  that 
were  as  soulless  as  himself." 

Still,  John  Effingham  was  a  man  of  cultivated  mind,  of  ex 
tensive  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  of  manners  that  varied 
with  the  occasion  ;  or  perhaps  it  were  better  to  say,  with  his 
humors.  In  all  these  particulars  but  the  latter  the  cousins 
were  alike ;  Edward  Effingham's  deportment  being  as  equal  as 
his  temper,  though  he  was  also  distinguished  fora  knowledge 
of  society. 


14  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

These  gentlemen  had  embarked  at  London,  on  their  fiftieth 
birthday,  in  the  packet  of  the  1st  of  October,  bound  to  New 
York ;  the  lands  and  family  residence  of  the  proprietor  lying 
in  the  state  of  that  name,  of  which  all  of  the  parties  were  na 
tives.  It  is  not  usual  for  the  cabin  passengers  of  the  London 
packets  to  embark  in  the  docks ;  but  Mr.  Effingham, — as  we 
shall  call  the  father  in  general,  to  distinguish  him  from  the 
bachelor,  John, — as  an  old  and  experienced  traveller,  had  deter 
mined  to  make  his  daughter  familiar  with  the  peculiar  odors 
of  the  vessel  in  smooth  water,  as  a  protection  against  sea-sick 
ness  ;  a  malady,  however,  from  which  she  proved  to  be  singu 
larly  exempt  in  the  end.  They  had,  accordingly,  been  on 
board  three  days,  when  the  ship  came  to  an  anchor  off  Ports 
mouth,  the  point  where  the  remainder  of  the  passengers  were 
to  join  her  on  that  particular  day  when  the  scene  of  this  tale 
commences. 

At  this  precise  moment,  then,  the  Montauk  was  lying  at  a 
single  anchor,  not  less  than  a  league  from  the  land,  in  a  flat 
calm,  with  her  three  topsails  loose,  the  courses  in  the  brails, 
and  with  all  those  signs  of  preparation  about  her  that  are  so 
bewildering  to  landsmen,  but  which  seamen  comprehend  as 
clearly  as  words.  The  captain  had  no  other  business  there 
than  to  take  on  board  the  wayfarers,  and  to  renew  his  supply 
of  fresh  meat  and  vegetables ;  things  of  so  familiar  import  on 
shore  as  to  be  seldom  thought  of  until  missed,  but  which  swell 
into  importance  during  a  passMge  of  a  month's  duration.  Eve 
had  employed  her  three  days  of  probation  quite  usefully,  having, 
with  the  exception  of  the  two  gentlemen,  the  officers  of  the 
vessel,  and  one  other  person,  been  in  quiet  possession  of  all  the 
ample,  not  to  say  luxurious  cabins.  It  is  true,  she  had  a  female 
attendant;  but  to  her  she  had  been  accustomed  from  child 
hood,  and  Nanny  Sidley,  as  her  quondam  nurse  and  actual 
lady's-maid  was  termed,  appeared  so  much  a  part  of  herself, 
that,  while  her  absence  would  be  missed  almost  as  greatly  as 
that  of  a  limb,  her  presence  was  as  much  a  matter  of  course  as 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  15 

a  hand  or  foot.  Nor  will  a  passing  word  concerning-  this  ex 
cellent  and  faithful  domestic  be  thrown  away,  in  the  briet 
preliminary  explanations  we  are  making. 

Ann  Sidley  was  one  of  those  excellent  creatures  who,  it  is 
the  custom  with  the  European  travellers  to  say,  do  not  exist  at 
all  in  America,  and  who,  while  they  are  certainly  less  numerous 
than  could  be  wished,  have  no  superiors  in  the  world,  in  their 
way.  She  had  been  born  a  servant,  lived  a  servant,  and  was 
quite  content  to  die  a  servant, — and  this,  too,  in  one  and  the 
same  family.  Yrre  shall  not  enter  into  a  philosophical  exami 
nation  of  the  reasons  that  had  induced  old  Ann  to  feel  certain 
she  was  in  the  precise  situation  to  render  her  more  happy  than 
any  other  that  to  her  was  attainable ;  but  feel  it  she  did,  as 
John  Effingham  used  to  express  it,  "  from  the  crown  of  her 
head  to  the  sole  of  her  foot."  She  had  passed  through  infancy, 
childhood,  girlhood,  up  to  womanhood,  pari  passu,  with  the 
mother  of  Eve,  having  been  the  daughter  of  a  gardener,  who 
died  in  the  service  of  the  family,  and  had  heart  enough  to  feel 
that  the  mixed  relations  of  civilized  society,  when  properly 
understood  and  appreciated,  are  more  pregnant  of  happiness 
than  the  vulgar  scramble  and  heart-burnings,  that,  in  the  melee 
of  a  migrating  and  unsettled  population,  are  so  injurious  to  the 
grace  and  principles  of  American  life.  At  the  death  of  Eve's 
mother,  she  had  transferred  her  affections  to  the  child ;  and 
twenty  years  of  assiduity  and  care  had  brought  her  to  feel  as 
much  tenderness  for  her  lovely  young  charge  as  if  she  had  been 
her  natural  parent.  But  Nanny  Sidley  was  better  fitted  to  care 
for  the  body  than  the  mind  of  Eve ;  and  when,  at  the  age  of 
ten,  the  latter  was  placed  under  the  control  of  an  accomplished 
governess,  the  good  woman  had  meekly  and  quietly  sunk  the 
duties  of  the  nurse  in  those  of  the  maid. 

One  of  the  severest  trials — or  "  crosses,"  as  she  herself  term 
ed  it — that  poor  Nanny  had  ever  experienced,  was  endured 
when  Eve  began  to  speak  in  a  language  she  could  not  herself 
comprehend  ;  for,  in  despite  of  the  best  intentions  in  the  world. 


16  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

and  twelve  years  of  use,  the  good  woman  could  never  make 
any  thing  of  the  foreign  tongues  her  young  charge  was  so 
rapidly  acquiring.  One  day,  when  Eve  had  been  maintaining 
an  animated  and  laughing  discourse  in  Italian  with  her  in 
structress,  Nanny,  unable  to  command  herself,  had  actually 
caught  the  child  to  her  bosom,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  im 
plored  her  not  to  estrange  herself  entirely  from  her  poor  old 
nurse.  The  caresses  and  solicitations  of  Eve  soon  brought  the 
good  woman  to  a  sense  of  her  weakness ;  but  the  natural  feel 
ing  was  so  strong,  that  it  required  years  of  close  observation  to 
reconcile  her  to  the  thousand  excellent  qualities  of  Mademoi 
selle  Viefville,  the  lady  to  whose  superintendence  the  education 
of  Miss  Effingham  had  been  finally  confided. 

This  Mademoiselle  Viefville  was  also  among  the  passengers, 
and  was  the  one  other  person  who  now  occupied  the  cabins  in 
common  with  Eve  and  her  friends.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a 
French  officer  who  had  fallen  in  Napoleon's  campaigns,  had 
been  educated  at  one  of  those  admirable  establishments  which 
form  points  of  relief  in  the  ruthless  history  of  the  conqueror, 
and  had  now  lived  long  enough  to  have  educated  two  young 
persons,  the  last  of  whom  was  Eve  Effingham.  Twelve  years 
of  close  communion  with  her  £leve  had  created  sufficient  at 
tachment  to  cause  her  to  yield  to  the  solicitations  of  the  father 
to  accompany  his  daughter  to  America,  and  to  continue  with 
her  during  the  first  year  of  her  probation,  in  a  state  of  society 
that  the  latter  felt  must  be  altogether  novel  to  a  young  woman 
educated  as  his  own  child  had  been. 

So  much  has  been  written  and  said  of  French  governesses, 
that  we  shall  not  anticipate  the  subject,  but  leave  this  lady  to 
speak  and  act  for  herself  in  the  course  of  the  narrative.  Neither 
is  it  our  intention  to  be  very  minute  in  these  introductory  re 
marks  concerning  any  of  our  characters;  but  having  thus 
traced  their  outlines,  we  shall  return  again  to  the  incidents  as 
they  occurred,  trusting  to  make  the  reader  better  acquainted 
with  all  the  parties  as  we  proceed, 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  17 


CHAPTER   II. 

u  Lord  Cram  and  Lord  Vultur, 
Sir  Brandish  O'Cultur, 
With  Marshall  Carouzer, 
And  old  Lady  Mouser." 

BATH  GUIDE. 

THE  assembling  of  the  passengers  of  a  packet-ship  is  at  all 
times  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  parties  concerned.  During  the 
western  passage  in  particular,  which  can  never  safely  be  set 
down  at  less  than  a  month,  there  is  the  prospect  of  being  shut 
up  for  the  whole  of  that  period,  within  the  narrow  compass  of 
a  ship,  with  those  whom  chance  has  brought  together,  in 
fluenced  by  all  the  accidents  and  caprices  of  personal  character, 
and  a  difference  of  nations,  conditions  in  life,  and  education. 
The  quarter-deck,  it  is  true,  forms  a  sort  of  local  distinction, 
and  the  poor  creatures  in  the  steerage  seem  the  rejected  of 
Providence  for  the  time  being;  but  all  who  know  life  will 
readily  comprehend  that  the  pele-mele  of  the  cabins  can  seldom 
offer  any  thing  very  enticing  to  people  of  refinement  and  taste. 
Against  this  evil,  however,  there  is  one  particular  source  of 
relief;  most  persons  feeling  a  disposition  to  yield  to  the  circum 
stances  in  which  they  are  placed,  with  the  laudable  and  con 
venient  desire  to  render  others  comfortable,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  made  comfortable  themselves. 

A  man  of  the  world  and  a  gentleman,  Mr.  Effingham  had 
looked  forward  to  this  passage  with  a  good  deal  of  concern, 
on  account  of  his  daughter,  while  he  shrank  with  the  sen 
sitiveness  of  his  habits  from  the  necessity  of  exposing  one  of  her 


18  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

delicacy  and  plastic  simplicity  to  the  intercourse  of  a  ship. 
Accompanied  by  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  watched  over  by 
Nanny,  and  guarded  by  himself  and  his  kinsman,  he  had  lost 
some  of  his  apprehensions  on  the  subject  during  the  three 
probationary  days,  and  now  took  his  stand  in  the  centre 
of  his  own  party  to  observe  the  new  arrivals,  with  something 
of  the  security  of  a  man  who  is  intrenched  in  his  own  door 
way. 

The  place  they  occupied,  at  a  window  of  the  hurricane-house, 
did  not  admit  of  a  view  of  the  water ;  but  it  was  sufficiently 
evident  from  the  preparations  in  the  gangway  next  the  land, 
that  boats  were  so  near  as  to  render  that  unnecessary. 

"  Genus,  cockney ;  species,  bagman,"  muttered  John  Effing- 
ham,  as  the  first  arrival  touched  the  deck.  "That  worthy  has 
merely  exchanged  the  basket  of  a  coach  for  the  deck  of  a 
packet ;  we  may  now  learn  the  price  of  buttons." 

It  did  not  require  a  naturalist  to  detect  the  species  of  the 
stranger,  in  truth ;  though  John  Effingham  had  been  a  little 
more  minute  in  his  description  than  was  warranted  by  the  fact. 
The  person  in  question  was  one  of  those  mercantile  agents  that 
England  scatters  so  profusely  over  the  world,  some  of  whom 
have  all  the  most  sterling  qualities  of  their  nation,  though  a 
majority,  perhaps,  are  a  little  disposed  to  mistake  the  value  of 
other  people  as  well  as  their  own.  This  was  the  genus,  as 
John  Effingham  had  expressed  it ;  but  the  species  will  best 
appear  on  dissection.  The  master  of  the  ship  saluted  this 
person  cordially,  and  as  an  old  acquaintance,  by  the  name  of 
Monday. 

"  A  mousquetaire  resuscitated,"  said  Mademoiselle  Viefville, 
in  her  broken  English,  as  one  who  had  come  in  the  same  boat 
as  the  first-named  thrust  his  whiskered  and  mustachoed  visage 
above  the  rail  of  the  gangway. 

"  More  probably  a  barber,  who  has  converted  his  own  head 
into  a  wig-block,"  growled  John  Effingham. 

"  Tt  cannot,  surely,  be  Wellington  in  disguise !"  added  Mr. 


H  O  M  E  W  A  It  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  19 

Effingham,  with  a  sarcasm  of  manner  that  was  quite  unusual 
for  him. 

"  Or  a  peer  of  the  realm  in  his  robes  !"  whispered  Eve,  who 
was  much  amused  with  the  elaborate  toilet  of  the  subject  of 
their  remarks,  who  descended  the  ladder  supported  by  a  sailor, 
and,  after  speaking  to  the  master,  was  formally  presented  to 
his  late  boat-companion,  as  Sir  George  Templemore.  The  two 
bustled  together  about  the  quarter-deck  for  a  few  minutes, 
using  eye-glasses,  which  led  them  into  several  scrapes,  by  caus 
ing  them  to  hit  their  legs  against  sundry  objects  they  might 
otherwise  have  avoided,  though  both  were  much  too  high-bred 
to  betray  feelings — or  fancied  they  were,  which  answered  the 
same  purpose. 

After  these  flourishes,  the  new-comers  descended  to  the  cabin 
in  company,  not  without  pausing  to  survey  the  party  in  the 
hurricane-house,  more  especially  Eve,  who,  to  old  Ann's  great 
scandal,  was  the  subject  of  their  manifest  and  almost  avowed 
admiration  and  observation. 

"  One1  is  rather  glad  to  have  such  a  relief  against  the  tedious- 
ness  of  a  sea-passage,"  said  Sir  George  as  they  went  down  the 
ladder.  "  No  doubt  you  are  used  to  this  sort  of  thing,  Mr. 
Monday  ;  but  with  me,  it  is  voyage  the  first, — that  is,  if  I  ex 
cept  the  Channel  and  the  seas  one  encounters  in  making  the 
usual  run  on  the  Continent." 

"  Oh,  dear  me  •!  I  go  and  come  as  regularly  as  the  equinoxes, 
Sir  George,  which  you  know  is  quite,  in  rule,  once  a  year.  I 
call  my  passages  the  equinoxes,  too,  for  I  religiously  make  it  a 
practice  to  pass  just  twelve  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  in  my 
berth." 

This  was  the  last  the  party  on  deck  heard  of  the  opinions  of 
the  two  worthies,  for  the  time  being ;  nor  would  they  have 
been  favored  with  all  this,  had  not  Mr.  Monday  what  he  thought 
a  rattling  way  with  him,  which  caused  him  usually  to  speak  in 
an  octave  above  every  one  else.  Although  their  voices  were 
nearly  mute,,  or  rather  lost  to  those  above,  they  were  heard 


20  HOMEWARDBOUND. 

knocking  about  in  their  staterooms ;  and  Sir  George,  in  par 
ticular,  as  frequently  called  out  for  the  steward,  by  the  name 
of  "  Saunders,"  as  Mr.  Monday  made  similar  appeals  to  the 
steward's  assistant  for  succor,  by  the  appropiate  appellation  of 
"Toast." 

"  I  think  we  may  safely  claim  this  person,  at  least,  for  a 
countryman,"  said  John  Effing-ham  :  "  he  is  what  I  have  heard 
termed  an  American  in  a  European  mask." 

"  The  character  is  more  ambitiously  conceived  than  skilfully 
maintained,"  replied  Eve,  who  had  need  of  all  her  retenue  of 
manner  to  abstain  from  laughing  outright.  "  Were  I  to  hazard 
a  conjecture,  it  would  be  to  describe  the  gentleman  as  a  collector 
of  costumes,  who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  exhibit  an  assortment 
of  his  riches  on  his  own  person.  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  you, 
who  so  well  understand  costumes,  may  tell  us  from  what  coun 
tries  the  separate  parts  of  that  attire  have  been  collected  ?" 

"  I  can  answer  for  the  shop  in  Berlin  where  the  travelling 
cap  was  purchased,"  returned  the  amused  governess ;  "  in  no 
other  part  of  the  world  can  a  parallel  be  found." 

"  I  should  think,  ma'am,"  put  in  Nanny,  with  the  quiet  sim 
plicity  of  her  nature  as  well  as  of  her  habits,  "  that  the  gentle 
man  must  have  bought  his  boots  in  Paris,  for  they  seem  to  pinch 
his  feet,  and  all  the  Paris  boots  and  shoes  pinch  one's  feet, — at 
least,  all  mine  did." 

"  The  watch-guard  is  stamped  '  Geneva,' "  continued  Eve. 

" The  coat  comes  from  Frankfort :  Jest  une  equivoque" 

"  And  the  pipe  from  Dresden,  Mademoiselle  Viefville." 

"  The  conchiglia  savors  of  Rome,  and  the  little  chain  annexed 
bespeaks  the  Rialto ;  while  the  moustaches  are  any  thing  but 
indigenes,  and  the  tout  ensemble  the  world  :  the  man  is  travelled, 
at  least." 

Eve's  eyes  sparkled  with  humor  as  she  said  this  :  while  the 
new  passenger,  who  had  been  addressed  as  Mr.  Dodge,  and  as 
an  old  acquaintance  also,  by  the  captain,  came  so  near  them 
as  to  admit  of  no  further  comments.  A  short  conversation  be- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  21 

tween  the  two  soon  let  the  listeners  into  the  secret  that  tne 
traveller  had  come  from  America  in  the  spring,  whither,  after 
having  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  he  was  about  to  return  in  the 
autumn. 

"  Seen  enough,  ha  !"  added  the  captain,  with  a  friendly  nod 
of  the  head,  when  the  other  had  finished  a  brief  summary  of 
Lis  proceedings  in  the  eastern  hemisphere.  "All  eyes,  and  no 
leisure  or  inclination  for  more  ?" 

"  I've  seen  as  much  as  I  warnt  to  see,"  returned  the  trav 
eller,  with  an  emphasis  on,  and  a  pronunciation  o/j  the  word 
we  have  italicised,  that  cannot  be  committed  to  paper,  but  which 
were  eloquence  itself  on  the  subject  of  self-satisfaction  and  self- 
knowledge. 

"  We],!,  that  is  the  main  point.  When  a  man  has  got  all 
he  wants  of  a  thing,  any  addition  is  like  over-ballast.  When 
ever  I  can  get  fifteen  knots  out  of  the  ship,  I  make  it  a  point 
to  be  satisfied,  especially  under  close-reefed  topsails  and  on  a 
taut  bow-line." 

The  traveller  and  the  master  nodded  their  heads  at  each  other, 
like  men  who  understood  more  than  they  expressed ;  when  the 
former,  after  inquiring  with  marked  interest  if  his  room-mate, 
Sir  George  Teuiplemore,  had  arrived,  went  below.  An  inter 
course  of  three  days  had  established  something  like  an  acquaint 
ance  between  the  latter  and  the  passengers  she  had  brought 
from  the  River,  and  turning  his  red  quizzical  face  towards  the 
ladies,  he  observed  with  inimitable  gravity — 

"There  is  nothing  like  understanding  when  one  has  enough, 
even  if  it  be  of  knowledge.  I  never  yet  met  with  the  navigator 
who  found  two  '  noons'  in  the  same  day,  that  he  was  not  in 
danger  of  shipwreck.  Now  I  dare  say,  Mr.  Dodge  there,  who 
has  just  gone  below,  has,  as  he  says,  seen  all  he  warnts  to  see, 
and  it  is  quite  likely  he  knows  more  already  than  he  can  cleverly 
get  along  with.  Let  the  people  be  getting  the  booms  on  the 
yards,  Mr.  Leach ;  we  shall  be  warnting  to  spread  our  wings 
before  the  end  of  the  passage." 


22  H  O  M  E  W  A  U  D      BOUND. 

As  Captain  Truck,  though  he  often  swore,  seldom  laughed, 
his  mate  gave  the  necessary  order  with  a  gravity  equal  to  that 
with  which  it  had  been  delivered  to  him  ;  and  even  the  sailors 
went  aloft  to  execute  it  with  greater  alacrity  for  an  indulgence 
of  humor  that  was  peculiar  to  their  trade,  and  which,  as  few 
understood  it  so  well,  none  enjoyed  so  much  as  themselves.  As 
the  homeward-bound  crew  was  the  same  as  the  outward-bound, 
and  Mr.  Dodge  had  come  abroad  quite  as  green  as  he  was  now 
going-  home  ripe,  this  traveller  of  six  months'  finish  did  not 
escape  divers  commentaries  that  literally  cut  him  up  "  from 
clew  to  ear-ring,"  and  which  flew  about  in  the  rigging  much  as 
active  birds  flutter  from  branch  to  branch  in  a  tree.  The  sub 
ject  of  all  this  wit,  however,  remained  profoundly,  not  to  say 
happily,  ignorant  of  the  sensation  he  had  produced,  being  oc 
cupied  in  disposing  of  the  Dresden  pipe,  the  Venetian  chain, 
and  the  Roman  conchiglia  in  his  stateroom,  and  in  "  instituting 
an  acquaintance,"  as  he  expressed  it,  with  his  room-mate,  Sir 
George  Templemore. 

"  We  must  surely  have  something  better  than  this,"  observed 
Mr.  Effingham,  "  for  I  observed  that  two  of  the  staterooms  in  the 
main  cabin  are  taken  singly." 

In  order  that  the  general  reader  may  understand  this,  it  may 
be  well  to  explain  that  the  packet-ships  have  usually  two  berths 
in  each  stateroom,  but  they  who  can  afford  to  pay  an  extra 
charge  are  permitted  to  occupy  the  little  apartment  singly.  It 
is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  persons  of  gentlemanly  feel 
ing,  when  circumstances  will  at  all  permit,  prefer  economizing 
in  other  things  in  order  to  live  by  themselves  for  the  month 
usually  consumed  in  the  passage,  since  in  nothing  is  refine 
ment  more  plainly  exhibited  than  in  the  reserve  <>f  personal 
habits. 

"  There  is  no  lack  of  vulgar  fools  stirring  with  full  pockets," 
rejoined  John  Effingham:  "the  two  rooms  you  mention  may 
have  been  taken  by  some  'yearling'  travellers,  who  are  little 
better  than  the  semi-annual  savant  who  has  just  passed  us." 


II  O  M  E  W  A  K  D      B  O  U  N'  D  .  23 

"  It  is  at  least  something,  cousin  Jack,  to  have  the  wishes  of 
a  gentleman." 

"  It  is  something,  Eve,  though  it  end  in  wishes,  or  even  in 
caricature." 

"What  are  the  names?''  pleasantly  asked  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  ;  "  the  names  may  be  a  clue  to  the  characters." 

"  The  papers  pinned  to  the  bed-curtains  bear  the  antithetical 
titles  of  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt ;  though  it  is  quite  probable 
the  first  is  wanting  of  a  letter  or  two  by  accident,  and  the  last 
is  merely  a  synonym  of  the  old  nom  de  guerre  '  Cash.'  " 

"  Do  persons,  then,  actually  travel  with  borrowed  names,  in 
our  days  ?"  asked  Eve,  with  a  little  of  the  curiosity  of  the  com 
mon  mother  whose  name  she  bore. 

"  That  do  they,  and  with  borrowed  money  too,  as  well  as  in 
other  days.  I  dare  say,  however,  these  two  co-voyagers  of  ours 
will  come  just  as  they  are,  in  truth,  Sharp  enough,  and  Blunt 
enough." 

"  Are  they  Americans,  think  you  ?" 

"  They  ought  to  be ;  both  the  qualities  being  thoroughly  in- 
digdnes,  as  Mademoiselle  Viefville  would  say." 

"  Nay,  cousin  John,  I  will  bandy  words  with  you  no  longer ; 
for  the  last  twelve  months  you  have  done  little  else  than  try  to 
lessen  the  joyful  anticipations  with  which  I  return  to  the  home 
of  my  childhood." 

"  Sweet  one,  I  would  not  willingly  lessen  one  of  thy  young 
and  generous  pleasures  by  any  of  the  alloy  of  my  own  bitter 
ness  ;  but  what  wilt  thou?  A  little  preparation  for  that  which 
is  as  certain  to  follow  as  that  the  sun  succeeds  the  dawn,  will 
rather  soften  the  disappointment  thou  art  doomed  to  feel." 

Eve  had  only  time  to  cast  a  look  of  affectionate  gratitude 
towards  him, — for  whilst  he  spoke  tauntingly,  he  spoke  with  a 
feeling  that  her  experience  from  childhood  had  taught  her  to 
appreciate, — ere  the  arrival  of  another  boat  drew  the  common 
attention  to  the  gangway.  A  call  from  the  officer  in  attendance 
had  brought  the  captain  to  the  rail;  and  his  order  to  "pass  in 


24  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  luggage  of  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blimt,"  was  heard  by  all 
near. 

"  Now  for  les  indigenes"  whispered  Mademoiselle  Viefville, 
with  the  nervous  excitement  that  is  a  little  apt  to  betray  a 
lively  expectation  in  the  gentler  sex. 

Eve  smiled ;  for  there  are  situations  in  which  trifles  help  to 
awaken  interest,  and  the  little  that  had  just  passed  served  to 
excite  curiosity  in  the  whole  party.  Mr.  Effingham  thought  it 
a  favorable  symptom  that  the  master,  who  had  had  interviews 
with  all  his  passengers  in  London,  walked  to  the  gangway  to 
receive  the  new-comers ;  for  a  boat-load  of  the  quarter-deck  oi 
polloi  had  come  on  board  a  moment  before  without  any  other 
notice  on  his  part  than  a  general  bow,  with  the  usual  order  to 
receive  their  effects. 

"  The  delay  denotes  Englishmen,"  the  caustic  John  had  time 
to  throw  in,  before  the  silent  arrangement  of  the  gangway  was 
interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  the  passengers. 

The  quiet  smile  of  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  as  the  two  travel 
lers  appeared  on  deck,  denoted  approbation,  for  her  practised 
eye  detected  at  a  glance  that  both  were  certainly  gentlemen. 
Women  are  more  purely  creatures  of  convention  in  their  way 
than  men,  their  education  inculcating  nicer  distinctions  and 
discriminations  than  that  of  the  other  sex ;  and  Eve,  who  would 
have  studied  Sir  George  Templemore  and  Mr.  Dodge  as  she 
would  have  studied  the  animals  of  a  caravan,  or  as  creatures 
with  whom  she  had  no  affinities,  after  casting  a  sly  look  of 
curiosity  at  the  two  who  now  appeared  on  deck,  unconsciously 
averted  her  eyes,  like  a  well-bred  young  person  in  a  drawing- 
room. 

"  They  are  indeed  English,"  quietly  remarked  Mr.  Effingham  ; 
"  but,  out  of  question,  English  gentlemen." 

"The  one  nearest  appears  to  me  to  be  Continental,"  an 
swered  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  who  had  not  felt  the  same  im 
pulse  to  avert  her  look  as  Eve;  "he  isjamais  Anglais!" 

Eve  stole  a  glance  in  spite  of  herself,  and  with  the  intuitive 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  25 

penetration  of  a  woman,  intimated  that  she  had  come  to  the 
same  conclusion.  The  two  strangers  were  both  tall,  and  de 
cidedly  gentleman-like  young  men,  whose  personal  appearance 
would  cause  either  to  be  remarked.  The  one  whom  the  cap 
tain  addressed  as  Mr.  Sharp  had  the  most  youthful  look,  his 
complexion  being  florid,  and  his  hair  light ;  though  the  other 
was  altogether  superior  in  outline  of  features  as  well  as  in  ex 
pression  :  indeed,  Mademoiselle  Viefville  fancied  she  never  saw 
a  sweeter  smile  than  that  he  gave  on  returning  the  salute  of 
the  deck ;  there  was  more  than  the  common  expression  of  sua 
vity  and  of  the  usual  play  of  features  in  it,  for  it  struck  her  as 
being  thoughtful  and  almost  melancholy.  His  companion  was 
gracious  in  his  manner,  and  perfectly  well  toned  ;  but  his  de 
meanor  had  less  of  the  soul  of  the  man  about  it,  partaking  more 
of  the  training  of  the  social  caste  to  which  it  belonged.  These 
may  seem  to  be  nice  distinctions  for  the  circumstances ;  but 
Mademoiselle  Viefville  had  passed  her  life  in  good  company, 
and  under  responsibilities  that  had  rendered  observation  and 
judgment  highly  necessary,  and  particularly  observations  of  the 
other  sex. 

Each  of  the  strangers  had  a  servant ;  and  while  their  lug 
gage  was  passed  up  from  the  boat,  they  walked  aft  nearer  to  the 
hurricane-house,  accompanied  by  the  captain.  Every  Ameri 
can,  who  is  not  very  familiar  with  the  world,  appears  to  pos 
sess  the  mania  of  introducing.  Captain  Truck  was  no  excep 
tion  to  the  rule  ;  for,  while  he  was  perfectly  acquainted  with 
a  ship,  and  knew  the  etiquette  of  the  quarter-deck  to  a 
hair,  he  got  into  blue  water  the  moment  he  approached  the 
finesse  of  deportment.  He  was  exactly  of  that  school  of  elegants 
who  fancy  drinking  a  glass  of  wine  with  another,  and  introdu 
cing,  are  touches  of  breeding ;  it  being  altogether  beyond  his 
comprehension  that  both  have  especial  uses,  and  are  only  to  be 
resorted  to  on  especial  occasions.  Still,  the  worthy  master,  who 
had  begun  life  on  the  forecastle,  without  any  previous  knowl 
edge  of  usages,  and  who  had  imbibed  the  notion  that  "  m<;n- 


*2  G  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  U      B  O  U  N  D  . 

ners  make  the  man,"  taken  in  the  narrow  sense  of  the  ax 
iom,  was  a  devotee  of  what  lie  fancied  to  be  good  breeding, 
and  one  of  his  especial  duties,  as  lie  imagined,  in  order  to  put 
his  passengers  at  their  ease,  was  to  introduce  them  to  each 
other ;  a  proceeding  which,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  had 
just  a  contrary  effect  with  the  better  class  of  them. 

"  You  are  acquainted,  gentlemen?"  he  said,  as  the  three  ap 
proached  the  party  in  the  hurricane-house. 

The  two  travellers  endeavored  to  look  interested,  while  Mr. 
Sharp  carelessly  observed  that  they  had  met  for  the  first  time 
in  the  boat.  This  was  delightful  intelligence  to  Captain  Truck, 
who  did  not  lose  a  moment  in  turning  it  to  account.  Stopping 
short,  he  faced  his  companions,  and  with  a  solemn  wave  of  the 
hand,  he  went  through  the  ceremonial  in  which  he  most  de 
lighted,  and  in  which  he  piqued  himself  at  being  an  adept. 

"  Mr.  Sharp,  permit  me  to  introduce  you  to  Mr.  Blunt ; — Mr. 
Blunt,  lot  me  make  you  acquainted  with  Mr.  Sharp." 

The  gentlemen,  though  taken  a  little  by  surprise  at  the  dig 
nity  and  formality  of  the  captain,  touched  their  hats  civilly  to 
each  other,  and  smiled.  Eve,  not  a  little  amused  at  the  scene, 
watched  the  whole  procedure ;  and  then  she  too  detected  the 
sweet  melancholy  of  the  one  expression,  and  the  marble-like 
irony  of  the  other.  It  may  have  been  this  that  caused  her  to 
start,  though  almost  imperceptibly,  and  to  color. 

"Our  turn  will  come  next,"  muttered  John  Effingham :  "get 
the  grimaces  ready." 

His  conjecture  was  right ;  for,  hearing  his  voice  without  un 
derstanding  the  words,  the  captain  followed  up  his  advantage 
to  his  own  infinite  gratification. 

"  Gentlemen, — Mr.  Effingham,  Mr.  John  Effingham" — (every 
one  soon  came  to  make  this  distinction  in  addressing  the  cousins) 
— "Miss  Effingham,  Mademoiselle  Viefville  : — Mr.  Sharp,  Mr. 
Blunt,  ladies ; — gentlemen,  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Sharp." 

The  dignified  bow  of  Mr.  Effinghamras  well  as  the  faint  and 
distant  smile  of  Eve,  would  have  repelled  any  undue  familiarity 


HO  ME  WARD      SOU  ND.  27 

in  men  of  less  tone  than  either  of  the  strangers,  both  of  whom 
received  the  unexpected  honor  like  those  who  felt  themselves 
to  be  intruders.  As  Mr.  Sharp  raised  his  hat  to  Eve,  however, 
he  held  it  suspended  a  moment  above  his  head,  and  then  drop 
ping  his  arm  to  its  full  length,  he  bowed  with  profound  respect, 
though  distantly.  Mr.  Blunt  was  less  elaborate  in  his  salute, 
but  as  pointed  as  the  circumstances  at  all  required.  Both  gen 
tlemen  were  a  little  struck  with  the  distant  hauteur  of  John 
Effingham,  whose  bow,  while  it  fulfilled  all  the  outward  forms, 
was  what  Eve  used  laughingly  to  term  "  imperial."  The  bustle 
of  preparation,  and  the  certainty  that  there  would  be  no  want, 
of  opportunities  to  renew  the  intercourse,  prevented  more  than 
the  general  salutations,  and  the  new-comers  descended  to  their 
staterooms. 

"  Did  you  remark  the  manner  in  which  those  people  took  my 
introduction  ?"  asked  Captain  Truck  of  his  chief  mate,  whom 
he  was  training  up  in  the  ways  of  packet-politeness,  as  one  in 
the  road  of  preferment.  "  Nowr,  to  my  notion,  they  might  have 
shook  hands  at  least.  That's  what  I  call  Vatteir 

"  One  sometimes  falls  in  with  what  are  rum  chaps,"  returned 
the  other,  who,  from  following  the  London  trade,  had  caught  a 
few  cockneyisms.  "  If  a  man  chooses  to  keep  his  hands  in  the 
beckets,  why  let  him,  say  I ;  but  I  take  it  as  a  slight  to  the 
company  to  sheer  out  of  the  usual  track  in  such  matters." 

"I  was  thinking  as  much  myself;  but  after  all,  what  can 
packet-masters  do  in  such  a  case  ?  We  can  set  luncheon  and 
dinner  before  the  passengers,  but  we  can't  make  them  eat. 
Now,  my  rule  is,  when  a  gentleman  introduces  me,  to  do  the 
thing  handsomely,  and  to  return  shake  for  shake,  if  it  is  three 
times  three  ;  but  as  for  a  touch  of  the  beaver,  it  is  like  setting 
a  top-gallant  sail  in  passing  a  ship  at  sea,  and  means  just 
nothing  at  all.  Who  would  know  a  vessel  because  he  has  let 
run  his  halyards  and  swayed  the  yard  up  again  ?  One  would 
do  as  much  to  a  Turk  for  manners'  sake.  No,  no !  there  is 
something  in  this,  and,  d —  me,  just  to  make  sure  of  it,  the 


28  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

first  good  opportunity  that  offers,  I'll  —  ay,  I'll  just  intro 
duce  them  all  over  again  !  Let  the  people  ship  their  hand 
spikes,  Mr.  Leach,  and  heave  in  the  slack  of  the  chain.  Ay, 
ay !  I'll  take  an  opportunity  when  all  hands  are  on  deck,  and 
introduce  them,  ship-shape,  one  by  one,  as  your  greenhorns  go 
through  a  lubber's-hole,  or  we  shall  have  no  friendship  during 
the  passage." 

The  mate  nodded  approbation,  as  if  the  other  had  hit  upon 
the  right  expedient,  and  then  he  proceeded  to  obey  the  orders, 
while  the  cares  of  his  vessel  soon  drove  the  subject  temporarily 
from  the  mind  of  his  commander. 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  29 


CHAPTER    III. 

"By  all  description,  this  should  be  the  place. 
Who's  here?— Speak,  ho!— No  answer  I— What  is  this?" 

TIMON  OF  ATHENS. 

A  SHIP  with  her  sails  loosened  and  her  ensign  abroad  is  al 
ways  a  beautiful  object ;  and  the  Montauk,  a  noble  New  York 
built  vessel  of  seven  hundred  tons  burden,  was  a  first-class 
specimen  of  the  "kettle-bottom"  school  of  naval  architecture, 
wanting  in  nothing  that  the  taste  and  experience  of  the  day 
can  supply.  The  scene  that  was  now  acting  before  their  eyes 
therefore  soon  diverted  the  thoughts  of  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
and  Eve  from  the  introductions  of  the  captain,  both  watching 
with  intense  interest  the  various  movements  of  the  crew  and 
passengers  as  they  passed  in  review. 

A  crowd  of  well-dressed,  but  of  an  evidently  humbler  class 
of  persons  than  those  further  aft,  were  thronging  the  gangways, 
little  dreaming  of  the  physical  suffering  they  were  to  endure 
before  they  reached  the  land  of  promise, — that  distant  America, 
towards  which  the  poor  and  oppressed  of  nearly  all  nations 
turn  longing  eyes  in  quest  of  a  shelter.  Eve  saw  with  wonder 
aged  men  and  women  among  them  ;  beings  who  were  about  to 
sever  most  of  the  ties  of  the  world  in  order  to  obtain  relief 
from  the  physical  pains  and  privations  that  had  borne  hard  on 
them  for  more  than  threescore  years.  A  few  had  made  sacri 
fices  of  themselves  in  obedience  to  that  mysterious  instinct 
which  man  feels  in  his  offspring ;  while  others,  again,  went  re 
joicing,  flushed  with  the  hope  of  their  vigor  and  youth.  Some, 
the  victims  of  their  vices,  had  embarked  in  the  idle  expectation 


30  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

that  a  change  of  scene,  with  increased  means  of  indulgence, 
could  produce  a  healthful  change  of  character.  All  had  views 
that  the  truth  would  have  dimmed,  and,  perhaps,  no  single  ad 
venturer  among  the  emigrants  collected  in  that  ship  entertained 
either  sound  or  reasonable  notions  of  the  mode  in  which  his 
step  was  to  be  rewarded,  though  many  may  meet  with  a  suc 
cess  that  will  surpass  their  brightest  picture  of  the  future.  More, 
no  doubt,  were  to  be  disappointed. 

Reflections  something  like  these  passed  through  the  mind  of 
Eve  Effingham,  as  she  examined  the  mixed  crowd,  in  which 
some  were  busy  in  receiving  stores  from  boats ;  others  in  hold 
ing  party  conferences  with  friends,  in  which  a  few  were  weep 
ing;  here  and  there  a  group  was  drowning  reflection  in  the 
parting  cup ;  while  wondering  children  looked  up  with  anxiety 
into  the  well-known  faces,  as  if  fearful  they  might  lose  the  coun 
tenances  they  loved,  and  the  charities  on  which  they  habitually 
relied,  in  such  a  m£lee. 

Although  the  stern  discipline  which  separates  the  cabin  and 
steerage  passengers  into  castes  as  distinct  as  those  of  the  Hin 
doos  had  not  yet  been  established,  Captain  Truck  had  too  pro 
found  a  sense  of  his  duty  to  permit  the  quarter-deck  to  be  un 
ceremoniously  invaded.  This  part  of  the  ship,  then,  had  partially 
escaped  the  confusion  of  the  moment ;  though  trunks,  boxes, 
hampers,  and  other  similar  appliances  of  travelling,  were  scat 
tered  about  in  tolerable  affluence.  Profiting  by  the  space,  of 
which  there  was  still  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  most  of  the 
party  left  the  hurricane-house  to  enjoy  the  short  walk  that  a 
ship  affords.  At  that  instant,  another  boat  from  the  land 
reached  the  vessel's  side,  and  a  grave-looking  personage,  who 
was  not  disposed  to  lessen  his  dignity  by  levity  or  an  omission 
of  forms,  appeared  on  deck,  where  he  demanded  to  be  shown 
the  master.  An  introduction  was  unnecessary  in  this  instance ; 
for  Captain  Truck  no  sooner  saw  his  visitor  than  he  recognized 
the  well-known  features  and  solemn  pomposity  of  a  civil  officer 
of  Portsmouth,  who  was  often  employed  to  search  the  Ameri- 


HOME  W  A  It  D     BOUND.  ,°» 1 

can  packets,  in  pursuit  of  delinquents  of  all  degrees  of  crime 
and  folly. 

"I  had  just  come  to  the  opinion  I  was  not  to  have  the  pleas 
ure  of  seeing  you  this  passage,  Mr.  Grab,"  said  the  captain, 
shaking  hands  familiarly  with  the  myrmidon  of  the  law;  "but 
the  turn  of  the  tide  is  not  more  regular  than  you  gentlemen 
who  come  in  the  name  of  the  king.  Mr.  Grab,  Mr.  Dodge — 
Mr.  Dodge,  Mr.  Grab.  And  now7,  to  what  forgery,  or  bigamy, 
or  elopement,  or  scandalum  magnatum,  do  I  owe  the  honor  of 
your  company  this  time?  Sir  George  Templemore,  Mr.  Grab — 
Mr.  Grab,  Sir  George  Templemore." 

Sir  George  bowed  with  the  dignified  aversion  an  honest  man 
might  be  supposed  to  feel  for  one  of  the  other's  employment ; 
while  Mr.  Grab  looked  gravely  and  with  a  counter  dignity  at 
Sir  George.  The  business  of  the  officer,  however,  was  with 
none  in  the  cabin;  but  he  had  come  in  quest  of  a  young  wo 
man  who  had  married  a  suitor  rejected  by  her  uncle, — an  ar 
rangement  that  was  likely  to  subject  the  latter  to  a  settlement 
of  accounts  wrhieh  he  found  inconvenient,  and  which  he  had 
thought  it  prudent  to  anticipate  by  bringing  an  action  of  debt 
against  the  bridegroom  for  advances,  real  or  pretended,  made 
to  the  wife  during  her  nonage.  A  dozen  eager  ears  caught  an 
outline  of  this  tale  as  it  was  communicated  to  the  captain,  and 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  it  was  known  throughout 
the  ship,  with  not  a  few  embellishments. 

"I  do  not  know  the  person  of  the  husband,"  continued  the 
officer,  "  nor  indeed  does  the  attorney  who  is  with  me  in  the 
boat ;  but  his  name  is  Robert  Davis,  and  you  can  have  no  diffi 
culty  in  pointing  him  out.  We  kno\v  him  to  be  in  the  ship." 

"I  never  introduce  any  steerage  passengers,  my  dear  sir; 
and  there  is  no  such  person  in  the  cabin,  I  give  you  my  honor, 
— and  that  is  a  pledge  that  must  pass  between  gentlemen  like 
us.  You  are  welcome  to  search,  but  the  duty  of  the  vessel 
must  go  on.  Take  your  man — but  do  not  detain  the  ship. — 
Mi1.  Sharp,  Mi\  Grab ;  Mr.  Grab,  Mr.  Sharp. — Bear  a  hand 


32  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

there,  Mr.  Leach,  and  let  us  have  the  slack  of  the  chain  as  soon 
as  possible." 

There  appeared  to  be  what  the  philosophers  call  the  attrac 
tion  of  repulsion  between  the  parties  last  introduced,  for  the 
tall  gentlemanly-looking  Mr.  Sharp  eyed  the  officer  with  a 
supercilious  coldness,  neither  party  deeming  much  ceremony 
on  the  occasion  necessary.  Mr.  Grab  now  summoned  his  as 
sistant,  the  attorney,  from  the  boat,  and  there  was  a  consultation 
between  them  as  to  their  further  proceedings.  Fifty  heads 
were  grouped  around  them,  and  curious  eyes  watched  their 
smallest  movements,  one  of  the  crowd  occasionally  disappear 
ing  to  report  proceeding's. 

Man  is  certainly  a  clannish  animal ;  for  without  knowing 
any  thing  of  the  merits  of  the  case,  without  pausing  to  inquire 
into  the  right  or  the  wrong  of  the  matter,  in  the  pure  spirit  of 
partisanship,  every  man,  woman,  and  child  of  the  steerage, 
which  contained  fully  a  hundred  souls,  took  sides  against  the 
law,  and  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the  defendant.  All  this  was 
done  quietly,  however,  for  no  one  menaced  or  dreamed  of  vio 
lence,  crew  and  passengers  usually  taking  their  cues  from  the 
officers  of  the  vessel  on  such  occasions,  and  those  of  the  Mon- 
tauk  understood  too  well  the  rights  of  the  public  agents  to 
commit  themselves  in  the  matter. 

"  Call  Robert  Davis,"  said  the  officer,  resorting  to  a  ruse,  by 
affecting  an  authority  he  had  no  right  to  assume.  "Robert 
Davis !"  echoed  twenty  voices,  among  which  was  that  of  the 
bridegroom  himself,  who  was  nigh  to  discover  his  secret  by  an 
excess  of  zeal.  It  was  easy  to  call,  but  no  one  answered. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  which  is  Robert  Davis,  my  little  fellow  ?" 
the  officer  asked  coaxingly,  of  a  fine  flaxen-headed  boy,  whose 
age  did  not  exceed  ten,  and  who  was  a  curious  spectator  of 
what  passed.  "Tell  me  which  is  Robert  Davis,  and  I  will  give 
you  a  sixpence." 

The  child  knew,  but  professed  ignorance. 

"  C'est  un  esprit  de  corps  admirable  /"  exclaimed  Mademoi- 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  33 

selle  Viefville ;  for  the  interest  of  the  scene  had  brought  nearly 
all  on  board,  with  the  exception  of  those  employed  in  the  duty 
of  the  vessel,  near  the  gangway.  "  Ceci  est  delicieux,  and  I 
could  devour  that  boy  !" 

What  rendered  this  more  odd,  or  indeed  absolutely  ludicrous, 
was  the  circumstance  that,  by  a  species  of  legerdemain,  a 
whisper  had  passed  among  the  spectators  so  stealthily,  and  yet 
so  soon,  that  the  attorney  and  his  companion  were  the  only 
two  on  deck  who  remained  ignorant  of  the  person  of  the  man 
they  sought.  Even  the  children  caught  the  clue,  though  they 
had  the  art  to  indulge  their  natural  curiosity  by  glances  so  sly 
as  to  escape  detection. 

Unfortunately,  the  attorney  had  sufficient  knowledge  of  the 
family  of  the  bride  to  recognize  her  by  a  general  resemblance, 
rendered  conspicuous  as  it  was  by  a  pallid  face  and  an  almost 
ungovernable  nervous  excitement.  He  pointed  her  out  to  the 
officer,  who  ordered  her  to  approach  him, — a  command  that 
caused  her  to  burst  into  tears.  The  agitation  and  distress  of 
his  wife  were  near  proving  too  much  for  the  prudence  of  the 
young  husband,  who  was  making  an  impetuous  movement  to 
wards  her,  when  the  strong  grasp  of  a  fellow-passenger  checked 
him  in  time  to  prevent  discovery.  It  is  singular  how  much  is 
understood  by  trifles  when  the  mind  has  a  clue  to  the  subject, 
and  how  often  signs,  that  are  palpable  as  day,  are  overlooked 
when  suspicion  is  not  awakened,  or  when  the  thoughts  have 
obtained  a  false  direction.  The  attorney  and  the  officer  were 
the  only  two  present  who  had  not  seen  the  indiscretion  of  the 
young  man,  and  who  did  not  believe  him  betrayed.  His  wife 
trembled  to  a  degree  that  almost  destroyed  the  ability  to  stand; 
but,  casting  an  imploring  look  for  self-command  on  her  indis 
creet  partner,  she  controlled  her  own  distress,  and  advanced 
towards  the  officer,  in  obedience  to  his  order,  with  a  power  of 
endurance  that  the  stiong  affections  of  a  woman  could  alone 
enable  her  to  assume. 

''  If  the  husband  will  not  deliver  himself  up,  I  shall  be  com- 


34  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

polled  to  order  the  wife  to  be  carried  ashore  in  his  stead!"  the 
attorney  coldly  remarked,  while  he  applied  a  pinch  of  snuff  to 
a  nose  that  was  already  saffron-colored  from  the  constant  use 
of  the  weed. 

A  pause  succeeded  this  ominous  declaration,  and  the  crowd 
of  passengers  betrayed  dismay,  for  all  believed  there  was  now 
no  hope  for  the  pursued.  The  wife  bowed  her  head  to  her 
knees,  for  she  had  sunk  on  a  box  as  if  to  hide  the  sight  of  her 
husband's  arrest.  At  this  moment  a  voice  spoke  from  among 
the  group  on  the  quarter-deck — 

~"Is  this  an  arrest  for  crime,  or  a  demand  for  debt?"  asked 
the  young  man  who  has  been  announced  as  Mr.  Blunt. 

There  was  a  quiet  authority  in  the  speaker's  manner  that 
reassured  the  failing  hopes  of  the  passengers,  while  it  caused 
the  attorney  and  his  companion  to  look  round  in  surprise,  and 
perhaps  a  little  in  resentment.  A  dozen  eager  voices  assured 
"  the  gentleman"  there  was  no  crime  in  the  matter  at  all — 
there  was  even  no  just  debt,  but  it  was  a  villainous  scheme  to 
compel  a  wronged  ward  to  release  a  fraudulent  guardian  from 
his  liabilities.  Though  all  this  was  not  very  clearly  explained, 
it  was  affirmed  with  so  much  zeal  and  energy  as  to  awaken 
suspicion,  and  to  increase  the  interest  of  the  more  intelligent 
portion  of  the  spectators.  The  attorney  surveyed  the  travelling 
dress,  the  appearance  of  fashion,  and  the  youth  of  his  interro 
gator,  whose  years  could  not  exceed  five-and-twenty,  and  his 
answer  was  £(iven  with  an  air  of  superiority. 

"Debt  or  crime,  it  can  matter  nothing  in  the  eye  of  the 
law." 

"  It  matters  much  in  the  view  of  an  honest  man,"  returned 
the  youth  with  spirit.  "  One  might  hesitate  about  interfering 
in  behalf  of  a  rogue,  however  ready  to  exert  himself  in  favor  of 
one  who  is  innocent,  perhaps,  of  every  thing  but  misfortune." 

"  This  looks  a  little  like  an  attempt  at  a  rescue  !  I  hope  we 
are  still  in  England,  and  under  the  protection  of  English  laws?" 

'•No  doubt  at  all  of  that,  Mr.  Seal,"  put  in  the  captain,  who 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  35 

having  kept  an  eye  on  the  officer  from  a  distance,  now  thought 
it  time  to  interfere,  in  order  to  protect  the  interests  of  his  own 
ers.  "Yonder  is  England,  mid  that  is  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and 
the  Moutauk  has  hold  of  an  English  Bottom,  and  good  anchor 
age  it  is ;  no  one  means  to  dispute  your  authority,  Mr.  At 
torney,  nor  to  call  in  question  that  of  the  king.  il;-.  Blunt 
merely  throws  out  a  suggestion,  sir ;  or  rather,  a  distinction 
between  rogues  and  honest  men  ;  nothing  more,  depend  on  it, 
sir. — Mr.  Seal,  Mr.  Blunt;  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Seal.  And  a  thou 
sand  pities  it  is,  that  the  distinction  is  not  more  commonly 
made." 

The  young  man  bowed  slightly,  and  with  a  face  flushed, 
partly  with  feeling,  and  partly  id  finding  himself  unexpectedly 
conspicuous  among  so  many  strangers,  he  advanced  a  little 
from  the  quarter-deck  group,  like  one  who  feels  he  is  required 
to  maintain  the  ground  he  has  assumed. 

"No  one  can  be  disposed  to  question  the  supremacy  of  the 
English  laws  in  this  roadstead,"  he  said,  "  and  least  of  all  my 
self;  but  you  will  permit  me  to  doubt  the  legality  of  arresting, 
or  in  any  manner  detaining,  a  wife  in  virtue  of  a  process  issued 
against  the  husband." 

"A  briefless  barrister!"  muttered  Seal  to  Grab.  "I  dare 
say  a  timely  guinea  would  have  silenced  the  fellow.  What  is 
now  to  be  done  ?'' 

"  The  lady  must  go  ashore,  and  all  these  matters  can  be  ar 
ranged  before  a  magistrate." 

"Ay,  ay  !  let  her  sue  out  a  habeas  corjms  if  she  please,"  add 
ed  the  ready  attorney,  whom  a  second  survey  caused  to  distrust 
his  first  inference.  "Justice  is  blind  in  England  as  well  as  in 
other  countries,  and  is  liable  to  mistakes;  but  still  she  is  just. 
If  she  does  mistake  sometimes,  she  is  always  ready  to  repair 
the  wrong." 

"Cannot  you  do  something  here?"  Eve  involuntarily  half- 
whispered  to  Mr.  Sharp,  who  stood  at  her  elbow. 

This  person  started  on  hearing  her  voice  making  this  sudden 


30  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

appeal,  and  glancing  a  look  of  intelligence  at  her.  he  smiled 
and  moved  nearer  to  the  principal  parties. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Attorney,"  he  commenced,  "  this  appears  to  be 
rather  irregular,  I  must  confess, — quite  out  of  the  ordinary 
way,  and  it  may  lead  to  unpleasant  consequences." 

"  In  what  manner,  sir?"  interrupted  Seal,  measuring  the  other's 
ignorance  at  a  glance. 

"  Why,  irregular  in  form,  if  not  in  principle.  I  am  aware 
that  the  habeas  corpus  is  all-essential,  and  that  the  law  must 
have  its  way  ;  but  really  this  does  seem  a  little  irregular,  not  to 
describe  it  by  any  harsher  term." 

Mr.  Seal  treated  this  new  appeal  respectfully,  in  appearance 
at  least,  for  he  saw  it  was  made  by  one  greatly  his  superior, 
while  he  felt  an  utter  contempt  for  it  in  essentials,  as  he  per 
ceived  intuitively  that  this  new  intercession  was  made  in  a  pro 
found  ignorance  of  the  subject.  As  respects  Mr.  Blunt,  how 
ever,  he  had  an  unpleasant  distrust  of  the  result,  the  quiet  man 
ner  of  that  gentleman  denoting  more  confidence  in  himself,  and 
a  greater  practical  knowledge  of  the  laws.  Still,  to  try  the  ex 
tent  of  the  other's  information,  and  the  strength  of  his  nerves, 
he  rejoined,  in  a  magisterial  and  menacing  tone — 

"  Yes,  let  the  lady  sue  out  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  if  wrong 
fully  arrested ;  and  I  should  be  glad  to  discover  the  foreigner 
who  will  dare  to  attempt  a  rescue  in  old  England,  and  in  defi 
ance  of  English  laws." 

It  is  probable  Paul  Blunt  would  have  relinquished  his  inter 
ference,  from  an  apprehension  that  he  might  be  ignorantly  aid 
ing  the  evil-doer,  but  for  this  threat;  and  even  the  threat 
might  not  have  overcome  his  prudence,  had  not  he  caught  <he 
imploring  look  of  the  fine  blue  eyes  of  Eve. 

"All  are  not  necessarily  foreigners  who  embark  on  board  an 
American  ship  at  an  English  poit,"  he  said  steadily,  "nor  is 
justice  denied  those  that  are.  The  habeas  corpus  is  as  well  un 
derstood  in  other  countries  as  in  this,  for  happily  we  live  in  an 
ao;e  when  neither  libortv  nor  knowledge  is  exclusive.  It' an  at- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  37 

torney,  you  must  know  yourself  that  you  cannot  legally  arrest  a 
wife  for  a  husband,  and  that  what  you  say  of  the  habeas  coitus 
is  little  worthy  of  attention." 

"  We  arrest,  and  whoever  interferes  with  an  officer  in  charge 
of  a  prisoner  is  guilty  of  a  rescue.  Mistakes  must  be  rectified 
by  the  magistrates." 

"  True,  provided  the  officer  has  warranty  for  what  he  does." 

"  Writs  and  warrants  may  contain  errors,  but  an  arrest  is  an 
arrest,"  growled  Grab. 

"  Not  the  arrest  of  a  woman  for  a  man.  In  such  a  case  there 
is  design,  and  not  a  mistake.  If  this  frightened  wife  will  take 
counsel  from  me,  she  will  refuse  to  accompany  you." 

"At  her  peril,  let  her  dare  do  so  !" 

"At  your  peril  do  you  dare  to  attempt  forcing  her  from  the 
ship !" 

"  Gentlemen,  gentlemen  ! — let  there  be  no  misunderstanding, 
I  pray  you,"  interposed  the  captain.  "  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Grab ; 
Mr.  Grab,  Mr.  Blunt.  No  warm  words,  gentlemen,  I  beg  of 
you.  But  the  tide  is  beginning  to  serve,  Mr.  Attorney,  and 
*  time  and  tide,'  you  know —  If  we  stay  here  much  longer,  the 
Montauk  may  be  forced  to  sail  on  the  2d,  instead  of  the  1st,  as 
has  been  advertised  in  both  hemispheres.  I  should  be  sorry  to 
carry  you  to  sea,  gentlemen,  without  your  small  stores ;  and  as 
for  the  cabin,  it  is  as  full  as  a  lawyer's  conscience.  No  remedy 
but  the  steerage  in  such  a  case. — Lay  forward,  men,  and  heave 
away.  Some  of  you  man  the  fore-topsail  halyards. — We  are  as 
regular  as  our  chronometers;  the  1st,  10th,  and  20th,  without 
fail." 

There  was  some  truth,  blended  with  a  little  poetry,  in  Cap 
tain  Truck's  account  of  the  matter.  The  tide  had  indeed  made 
in  his  favor,  but  the  little  wind  there  was  blew  directly  into  the 
roadstead ;  and  had  not  his  feelings  become  warmed  by  the 
distress  of  n  pretty  and  interesting  young  woman,  it  is  more 
than  probable  the  line  would  have  incurred  the  disgrace  of 
having  a  ship  sail  on  a  later  day  than  had  been  advertised. 


38  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  Is  D  . 

As  it  was,  however,  lie  had  the  matter  up  in  earnest,  and  he 
privately  assured  Sir  George  and  Mr.  Dodge,  if  the  affair  were 
not  immediately  disposed  of,  he  should  carry  both  the  attorney 
and  officer  to  sea  with  him,  and  that  he  did  not  feel  himself 
bound  to  furnish  either  with  water.  "  They  may  catch  a  little 
rain,  by  wringing  their  jackets,"  he  added,  with  a  wink  ;  "though 
October  is  a  dryish  month  in  the  American  seas." 

The  decision  of  Paul  Blunt  would  have  induced  the  attorney 
and  his  companion  to  relinquish  their  pursuit  but  for  two  cir 
cumstances.  They  had  both  undertaken  the  job  as  a  specula 
tion,  or  on  the  principle  of  "  no  play,  no  pay,"  and  all  their 
trouble  would  be  lost  without  success.  Then  the  very  difficulty 
that  occurred  had  been  foreseen,  and  while  the  officer  proceeded 
to  the  ship,  the  uncle  had  been  busily  searching  for  a  son  on 
shore,  to  send  off  to  identify  the  husband, — a  step  that  would 
have  been  earlier  resorted  to  could  the  young  man  have  been 
found.  This  son  was  a  rejected  suitor,  and  he  was  now  seen, 
by  the  aid  of  a  glass  that  Mr.  Grab  always  carried,  pulling  to 
wards  the  Montauk,  in  a  two-oared  boat,  with  as  much  zeal  as 
malignancy  and  disappointment  could  impart.  His  distance 
from  the  ship  was  still  considerable  ;  but  a  peculiar  hat,  with 
the  aid  of  the  glass,  left  no  doubt  of  his  identity.  The  attorney 
pointed  out  the  boat  to  the  officer,  and  the  latter,  after  a  look 
through  the  glass,  gave  a  nod  of  approbation.  Exultation  over 
came  the  usual  wariness  of  the  attorney,  for  his  pride,  too,  had 
got  to  be  enlisted  in  the  success  of  his  speculation, — men  being 
so  strangely  constituted  as  often  to  feel  as  much  joy  in  the  ac 
complishment  of  schemes  that  are  unjustifiable,  as  in  the  ac 
complishment  of  those  of  which  they  may  have  reason  to  be 
proud. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  passengers  and  people  of  the  packet 
seized  something  near  the  truth,  with  that  sort  of  instinctive 
readiness  which  seems  to  characterize  bodies  of  men  in  mo 
ments  of  excitement.  That  the  solitary  boat  which  was  pulling 
towards  them  in  the  dusk  of  the  evonirio-  contained  some  one 


H  O  M  EWARD     BOUND.  39 

who  might  aid  the  attorney  and  his  myrmidon,  all  believed, 
though  in  what  manner  none  could  tell. 

Between  all  seamen  and  the  ministers  of  the  law  there  is  a 
long-standing  antipathy,  for  the  visits  of  the  latter  are  usually 
so  timed  as  to  leave  nothing  between  the  alternatives  of  paying 
or  of  losing  a  voyage.  It  was  soon  apparent  then,  that  Mr. 
Seal  had  little  to  expect  from  the  apathy  of  the  crew,  for  never 
did  men  work  with  better  will  to  get  a  ship  loosened  from  the 
bottom. 

All  this  feeling  manifested  itself  in  a  silent  and  intelligent 
activity  rather  than  in  noise  or  bustle,  for  every  man  on  board 
exercised  his  best  faculties,  as  well  as  his  best  good-will  and 
strength ;  the  clock-work  ticks  of  the  palls  of  the  windlass  re 
sembling  those  of  a  watch  that  had  got  the  start  of  time, 
while  the  chain  came  in  with  surges  of  half  a  fathom  at  each 
heave. 

"  Lay  hold  of  this  rope,  men,"  cried  Mr.  Leach,  placing  the 
end  of  the  main-topsail  halyards  in  the  hands  of  half-a-dozen 
athletic  steerage  passengers,  who  had  all  the  inclination  in  the 
world  to  be  doing,  though  uncertain  where  to  lay  their  Hands; 
"  lay  hold,  and  run  away  with  it." 

The  second  mate  performed  the  same  feat  forward,  and  as 
the  sheets  had  never  been  started,  the  broad  folds  of  the  Mon- 
tauk's  canvns  began  to  open,  even  while  the  men  were  heaving 
at  the  anchor.  These  exertions  quickened  the  blood  in  the 
veins  of  those  who  were  not  employed,  until  even  the  quarter 
deck  passengers  began  to  experience  the  excitement  of  a  chase, 
in  addition  to  the  feelings  of  compassion.  Captain  Truck  was 
silent,  but  very  active  in  preparations.  Springing  to  the  wheel, 
he  made  its  spokes  fly  until  he  had  forced  the  helm  hard  up, 
when  he  unceremoniously  gave  it  to  John  Effingham  to  keep 
there.  His  next  leap  was  to  the  foot  of  the  mizen-mast,  where, 
after  a  few  energetic  efforts  alone,  he  looked  over  his  shoulder 
and  beckoned  for  aid. 

"  Sir  George   Templemore,   mizen-topsail  halyards ;    mizen- 


40  H  O  M  E  WA  R  D      BOUND. 

topsail  halyards,  Sir  George  Templemore,"  muttered  the  eager 
master,  scarce  knowing  what  he  said.  "Mr.  Dodge,  now  is 
the  time  to  show  that  your  name  and  nature  are  not  identical." 

In  short,  nearly  all  on  board  were  busy,  and,  thanks  to  the 
hearty  good-will  of  the  officers,  stewards,  cooks,  and  a  few  of 
the  hands  that  could  be  spared  from  the  windlass,  busy  in  a 
way  to  spread  sail  after  sail  with  a  rapidity  little  short  of  that 
seen  on  board  of  a  vessel  of  war.  The  lattlingof  the  clew-gar 
net  blocks,  as  twenty  lusty  fellows  ran  forward  with  the  tack  of 
the  mainsail,  and  the  hauling  forward  of  braces,  was  the  signal 
that  the  ship  was  clear  of  the  ground,  and  corning  under  com 
mand. 

A  cross  current  had  superseded  the  necessity  of  casting  the 
vessel,  but  her  sails  took  the  light  air  nearly  abeam ;  the  cap 
tain  understanding  that  motion  was  of  much  more  importance 
just  then  than  direction.  No  sooner  did  he  perceive  by  the 
bubbles  that  floated  past,  or  rather  appeared  to  float  past,  that 
his  ship  was  dividing  the  water  forward,  than  he  called  a  trusty 
man  to  the  wheel,  relieving  John  Effingham  from  his  watch. 
The  next  instant,  Mr.  Leach  reported  the  anchor  catted  and 
fished. 

"  Pilot,  you  will  be  responsible  for  this  if  my  prisoners  es 
cape,"  said  Mr.  Grab,  menacingly.  "  You  know  my  errand, 
and  it  is  your  duty  to  aid  the  ministers  of  the  law." 

"  Harkee,  Mr.  Grab,"  put  in  the  master,  who  had  warmed 
himself  with  the  exercise  ;  "  we  all  know,  and  we  all  do  our 
duties,  on  board  the  Montauk.  It  is  your  duty  to  take  Robert 
Davis  on  shore  if  you  can  find  him ;  and  it  is  my  duty  to  take 
the  Montauk  to  America  :  now,  if  you  will  receive  counsel 
from  a  well-wisher,  I  would  advise  you  to  see  that  you  do  not 
go  in  her.  No  one  offers  any  impediment  to  your  performing 
your  office,  and  I'll  th;mk  you  to  offer  me  none  in  performing 
mine. — Brace  the  yards  further  forward,  boys,  and  let  the  ship 
come  up  to  the  wind." 

As  there  were  loeHc,  useful  information,  law,  and  seamanship 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  41 

united  in  this  reply,  the  attorney  began  to  betray  uneasiness ; 
foi  by  this  time  the  ship  had  gathered  so  much  way  as  to  ren 
der  it  exceedingly  doubtful  whether  a  two-oared  boat  would  be 
able  to  come  up  with  her,  without  the  consent  of  those  on 
board.  It  is  probable,  as  evening  had  already  closed,  and  the 
rays  of  the  moon  were  beginning  to  quiver  on  the  ripple  of  the 
water,  that  he  would  have  abandoned  his  object,  though  with 
infinite  reluctance,  had  not  Sir  George  Templemore  pointed  out 
to  the  captain  a  six-oared  boat,  that  was  pulling  towards  them 
from  a  quarter  that  permitted  it  to  be  seen  in  the  moonlight. 

"  That  appears  to  be  a  man-of-war's  cutter,"  observed  the 
baronet  uneasily,  for  by  this  time  all  on  board  felt  a  sort  of  per 
sonal  interest  in  their  escape. 

"It  does  indeed,  Captain  Truck,"  added  the  pilot;  "and  if 
she  makes  a  signal,  it  will  become  my  duty  to  heave-to  the 
Mantauk." 

"  Then  bundle  out  of  her,  my  fine  fellow,  as  fast  as  you  can ; 
for  not  a  brace  or  a  bowline  shall  be  touched  here,  with  my 
consent,  for  any  such  purpose.  The  ship  is  cleared — my  hour 
is  come — my  passengers  are  on  board — and  America  is  my 
haven.  Let  them  that  want  me,  catch  me.  That  is  what  I 
call  Vattel." 

The  pilot  and  the  master  of  the  Montauk  were  excellent 
friends,  and  understood  each '  other  perfectly,  even  while  the 
former  was  making  the  most  serious  professions  of  duty.  The 
boat  was  hauled  up,  arid,  first  whispering  a  few  cautions  about 
the  shoals  and  the  currents,  the  worthy  marine  guide  leaped 
into  it,  and  was  soon  seen  floating  astern — a  cheering  proof 
that  the  ship  had  got  fairly  in  motion.  As  he  fell  out  of  hear 
ing  in  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  the  honest  fellow  kept  calling  out 
"  to  tack  in  season." 

"  If  you  wish  to  try  the  speed  of  your  boat  against  that  of 
the  pilot,  Mr.  Grab,"  called  out  the  captain,  "you  will  never 
have  a  better  opportunity.  It  is  a  fine  night  for  a  regatta,  and 
I  will  stand  you  a  pound  on  Mr.  Handlead's  heels.  For  that 


42 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


matter,  I  would  as  soon  trust  his  head,  or  his  hands,  in  the 
bargain." 

The  officer  continued  obstinately  on  board,  for  he  saw  that 
the  six-oared  boat  was  coining  up  with  the  ship,  and,  as  he 
well  knew  the  importance  to  his  client  of  compelling  a  settle 
ment  of  the  accounts,  he  fancied  some  succor  might  be  expected 
in  that  quarter.  In  the  mean  time,  this  new  movement  on  the 
part  of  their  pursuers  attracted  general  attention,  and,  as  might 
be  expected,  the  interest  of  this  little  incident  increased  the 
excitement  that  usually  accompanies  a  departure  for  a  long  sea- 
voyage,  fourfold.  Men  and  women  forgot  their  griefs  and 
leave-takings  in  anxiety,  and  in  that  pleasure  which  usually 
attends  agitation  of  the  mind  that  does  not  proceed  from  actual 
misery  of  our  own. 


HOMEWAKD     BOUND.  43 


CHAPTER    IV. 

"  Whither  away  so  fast  ? 

O  God  save  you  ! 

Even  to  the  hall,  to  hear  what  shall  become 
Of  the  great  Duke  of  Buckingham.1 

HENKY  VIII. 

THE  assembling  of  the  passengers  of  the  large  packet-ship  is 
necessarily  an  affair  of  coldness  and  distrust,  especially  with 
those  who  know  the  world,  and  more  particularly  still  when  the 
passage  is  from  Europe  to  America.  The  greater  sophistication 
of  the  old  than  of  the  new  hemisphere,  with  its  consequent 
shifts  and  vices,  the  knowledge  that  the  tide  of  emigration  sets 
westward,  and  that  few  abandon  the  home  of  their  youth  un 
less  impelled  by  misfortune  at  least,  with  other  obvious  causes, 
unite  to  produce  this  distinction.  Then  come  the  fastidiousness 
of  habits,  the  sentiments  of  social  castes,  the  refinements  of 
breeding,  and  the  reserves  of  dignity  of  character,  to  be  put  in 
close  collision  with  bustling  egotism,  ignorance  of  usages,  an 
absence  of  training,  and  downright  vulgarity  of  thought  and 
practices.  Although  necessity  soon  brings  these  chaotic  ele 
ments  into  something  like  order,  the  first  week  commonly 
passes  in  reconnoitering,  cool  civilities,  and  cautious  concessions, 
to  yield  at  length  to  the  never-dying  chanties  ;  unless,  indeed, 
the  latter  may  happen  to  be  kept  in  abeyance  by  a  downright 
quarrel,  about  midnight  carousals,  a  squeaking  fiddle,  or  some 
incorrigible  snorer. 

Happily,  the  party  collected  in  the  Montauk  had  the  good 
fortune  to  abridge  the  usual  probation  in  courtesies,  by  the 
stirring  events  of  the  night  on  which  they  sailed.  Two  hours 
had  scarcely  elapsed  since  the  last  passenger  crossed  the  gang- 


44  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

way,  and  yet  the  respective  circles  of  the  quarter-deck  and 
steerage  felt  more  sympathy  with  each  other  than  the  boasted 
human  charities  ordinarily  quicken  in  days  of  common-place 
intercourse.  They  had  already  found  out  each  other's  names, 
thanks  to  the  assiduity  of  Captain  Truck,  who  had  stolen  time, 
in  the  midst  of  all  his  activity,  to  make  half-a-dozen  more  in 
troductions,  and  the  Americans  of  the  less  trained  class  were 
already  using  them  as  freely  as  if  they  were  old  acquaintances. 
We  say  Americans,  for  the  cabins  of  these  ships  usually  con 
tain  a  congress  of  nations,  though  the  people  of  England,  and 
of  her  ci-devant  colonies,  of  course  predominate  in  those  of  the 
London  lines.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  last  two  were 
nearly  balanced  in  numbers,  so  far  as  national  character  could 
be  made  out ;  opinion  (which,  as  might  be  expected,  had  been 
busy  the  while)  being  suspended  in  reference  to  Mr.  Blunt,  and 
one  or  two  others  whom  the  captain  called  "  foreigners,"  to  dis 
tinguish  them  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  stock. 

This  equal  distribution  of  forces  might,  under  other  circum 
stances,  have  led  to  a  division  in  feeling ;  for  the  conflicts  be 
tween  American  and  British  opinions,  coupled  with  a  difference 
in  habits,  are  a  prolific  source  of  discontent  in  the  cabins  of 
packets.  The  American  is  apt  to  fancy  himself  at  home,  under 
the  flag  of  his  country  ;  while  his  transatlantic  kinsman  is 
strongly  addicted  to  fancying  that  when  he  has  fairly  paid  his 
money,  he  has  a  right  to  embark  all  his  prejudices  with  his 
other  luggage. 

The  affair  of  the  attorney  and  the  newly-married  couple, 
however,  was  kept  quite  distinct  from  all  feelings  of  nationali 
ty  ;  the  English  apparently  entertaining  quite  as  lively  a  wish 
that  the  latter  might  escape  from  the  fangs  of  the  law,  as  any 
other  portion  of  the  passengers.  The  parties  themselves  were 
British,  and  although  the  authority  evaded  was  of  the  same  ori 
gin,  right  or  wrong,  all  on  board  had  taken  up  the  impression 
that  it  was  improperly  exercised.  Sir  George  Templemore,  the 
Englishman  of  highest  rank,  was  decidedly  of  this  way  of 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  45 

thinking — an  opinion  he  was  rather  warm  in  expressing — 
and  the  example  of  a  baronet  had  its  weight,  not  only  with 
most  of  his  own  countrymen,  but  with  not'  a  few  of  the  Ameri 
cans  also.  The  Emngham  party,  together  with  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Mr.  Blunt,  were,  indeed,  all  who  seemed  to  be  entirely  indiffer 
ent  to  Sir  George's  sentiments ;  and,  as  men  are  intuitively 
quick  in  discovering  who  do  and  who  do  not  defer  to  their  sug 
gestions,  their  accidental  independence  might  have  been  favored 
by  this  fact,  for  the  discourse  of  this  gentleman  was  addressed 
in  the  main  to  those  who  lent  the  most  willing  ears.  Mr. 
Dodge,  in  particular,  was  his  constant  and  respectful  listener, 
and  profound  admirer : — but  then  he  was  his  room-mate,  and  a 
democrat  of  a  water  so  pure,  that  he  was  disposed  to  maintain 
no  man  had  a  right  to  any  one  of  his  senses,  unless  by  popular 
sufferance. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  night  advanced,  and  the  soft  light  of 
the  moon  was  playing  on  the  waters,  adding  a  semi-mysterious 
obscurity  to  the  excitement  of  the  scene.  The  two-oared  boat 
had  evidently  been  overtaken  by  that  carrying  six  oars,  and, 
after  a  short  conference,  the  first  had  returned  reluctantly 
towards  the  land,  while  the  latter,  profiting  by  its  position,  had 
set  two  lug-sails,  and  was  standing  out  into  the  offing,  on  a 
course  that  would  compel  the  Montauk  to  come  under  its  lee, 
when  the  shoals,  as  would  soon  be  the  case,  should  force  the 
ship  to  tack. 

"  England  is  most  inconveniently  placed,"  Captain  Truck 
dryly  remarked  as  he  witnessed  this  manoeuvre.  "  Were  this 
island  only  out  of  the  way,  now,  we  might  stand  on  as  we 
head,  and  leave  those  man-of-war's  men  to  amuse  themselves 
all  night  with  backing  and  filling  in  the  roads  of  Portsmouth." 

"  I  hope  there  is  no  danger  of  that  little  boat's  overtaking 
this  large  ship !''  exclaimed  Sir  George,  with  a  vivacity  that 
did  great  credit  to  his  philanthropy,  according  to  the  opinion 
of  Mr.  Dodge  at  least ;  the  latter  having  imbibed  a  singular 
bias  in  favor  of  persons  of  condition,  from  having  travelled  in 


46  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

an  eilwagen  with  a  German  baron,  from  whom  he  had  taken  a 
model  of  the  pipe  he  carried  but  nevei  smoked,  and  from  hav 
ing  been  thrown  for  two  days  and  nights  into  the  society  of  a 
"  Polish  countess,"  as  he  uniformly  termed  her,  in  the  gondole 
of  a  diligence,  between  Lyons  and  Marseilles.  In  addition,  Mr. 
Dodge,  as  has  just  been  hinted,  was  an  ultra-freeman  at  home 
— a  circumstance  that  seems  always  to  react,  when  the  subject 
of  the  feeling  gets  into  foreign  countries. 

"  A  feather  running  before  a  lady's  sigh  would  outsail  either 
of  us  in  this  air,  which  breathes  on  us  in  some  such  fashion  as 
a  whale  snores,  Sir  George,  by  sudden  puffs.  I  would  give  the 
price  of  a  steerage  passage,  if  Great  Britain  lay  off  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  for  a  week  or  ten  days." 

"  Or  Cape  Hatteras  !"  rejoined  the  mate. 

"Not  I;  I  wish  the  old  island  no  harm,  nor  a  worse  climate 
than  it  has  got  already ;  though  it  lies  as  much  in  our  way, 
just  at  this  moment,  as  the  moon  in  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  I 
bear  the  old  creature  a  great-grandson's  love — or  a  step  or  two 
farther  off,  if  you  will, — and  come  and  go  too  often  to  forget 
the  relationship.  But,  much  as  I  love  her,  the  affection  is  not 
strong  enough  to  go  ashore  on  her  shoals,  and  so  we  will  go 
about,  Mr.  Leach ;  at  the  same  time,  I  wish  from  my  heart 
that  two-lugged  rascal  would  go  about  his  business." 

The  ship  tacked  slowly  but  gracefully,  for  she  was  in  what 
her  master  termed  "  racing  trim ;"  and  as  her  bows  fell  off  to 
the  eastward,  it  became  pretty  evident  to  all  who  understood 
the  subject,  that  the  two  little  lug-sails  that  were  "  eating  into 
the  wind,"  as  the  sailors  express  it,  would  weather  upon  her 
track  ere  she  could  stretch  over  to  the  other  shoal.  Even  the 
landsmen  had  some  feverish  suspicions  of  the  truth,  and  the 
steerage  passengers  were  already  holding  a  secret  conference 
on  the  possibility  of  hiding  the  pursued  in  some  of  the  recesses 
of  the  ship.  "  Such  things  were  often  done,"  one  whispered  to 
another,  "and  it  was  as  easy  to  perform  it  now  as  at  any  other 
time." 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  47 

But  Captain  Truck  viewed  the  matter  differently :  his  voca 
tion  called  him  three  times  a  year  into  the  roads  at  Portsmouth, 
and  he  felt  little  disposition  to  embarrass  his  future  intercourse 
with  the  place  by  setting  its  authorities  at  a  too  open  defiance. 
He  deliberated  a  good  deal  on  the  propriety  of  throwing  his  ship 
up  into  the  wind,  as  she  slowly  advanced  towards  the  boat,  and 
of  inviting  those  in  the  latter  to  board  him.  Opposed  to  this 
was  the  pride  of  profession,  and  Jack  Truck  was  not  a  man  to 
overlook  or  to  forget  the  "  yarns"  that  were  spun  among  his 
fellows  at  the  New  England  Coffee-house,  or  among  those 
farming  hamlets  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  whence  all 
the  packet-men  are  derived,  and  whither  they  repair  for  a  shel 
ter  when  their  careers  are  run,  as  regularly  as  the  fruit  decays 
where  it  falleth,  or  the  grass  that  has  not  been  harvested  or 
cropped  withers  on  its  native  stalk. 

"  There  is  no  question,  Sir  George,  that  this  fellow  is  a  man- 
of-war's  man,"  said  the  master  to  the  baronet,  who  stuck  close 
to  his  side.  "  Take  a  peep  at  the  creeping  rogue  through  this 
night-glass,  and  you  will  see  his  crew  seated  at  their  thwarts 
with  their  arms  folded,  like  men  who  eat  the  king's  beef.  None 
but  your  regular  public  servant  ever  gets  that  impudent  air  of 
idleness  about  him,  either  in  England  or  America.  In  this  re 
spect,  human  nature  is  the  same  in  both  hemispheres,  a  man 
never  falling  in  with  luck,  but  he  fancies  it  is  no  more  than  his 
deserts." 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  great  many  of  them  !  Can  it  be  their 
intention  to  carry  the  vessel  by  boarding?" 

"  If  it  is,  they  must  take  the  will  for  the  deed,"  returned  Mr. 
Truck  a  little  coldly.  "  I  very  much  question  if  the  Montauk, 
with  three  cabin  officers,  as  many  stewards,  two  cooks,  and 
eighteen  foremast-men,  would  exactly  like  the  notion  of  being 
*  carried,'  as  you  style  it,  Sir  George,  by  &  six-oared  cutter's 
crew.  We  are  not  as  heavy  as  the  planet  Jupiter,  but  have 
somewhat  too  much  gravity  to  be  '  carried'  as  lightly  as  all 
that,  too." 


48  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"You  intend,  then,  to  resist?"  asked  Sir  George,  whose  gener 
ous  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  pursued  apparently  led  him  to  take  a 
stronger  interest  in  their  escape  than  any  other  person  on  board. 

Captain  Truck,  who  had  never  an  objection  to  sport,  ponder 
ed  with  himself  a  little,  smiled,  and  then  loudly  expressed  a 
wish  that  he  had  a  member  of  congress  or  a  member  of  parlia 
ment  on  board. 

"Your  desire  is  a  little  extraordinary  for  the  circumstances," 
observed  Mr.  Sharp;  "will  you  have  the  goodness  to  explain 
why?" 

"  This  matter  touches  on  international  law,  gentlemen,"  con 
tinued  the  master,  rubbing  his  hands;  for,  in  addition  to  having 
caught  the  art  of  introduction,  the  honest  mariner  had  taken 
it  into  his  head  he  had  become  an  adept  in  the  principles  of 
Vattel,  of  whom  he  possessed  a  well-thumbed  copy,  and  for 
whose  dogmas  he  entertained  the  deference  that  they  who  be 
gin  to  learn  late  usually  feel  for  the  particular  master  into 
whose  hands  they  have  accidentally  fallen.  "  Under  what  cir 
cumstances,  or  in  what  category,  can  a  public  armed  ship  com 
pel  a  neutral  to  submit  to  being  boarded — not  '  carried,'  Sir 
George,  you  will  please  to  remark;  for  d —  —  me,  if  any  man 
'  carries'  the  Montauk  that  is  not  strong  enough  to  '  carry'  her 
crew  and  cargo  along  with  her ! — but  in  what  category,  now, 
is  a  packet  like  this  I  have  the  honor  to  command  obliged,  in 
comity,  to  heave-to  and  to  submit  to  an  examination  at  all  ? 
The  ship  is  a-weigh,  and  has  handsomely  tacked  under  her 
canvas ;  and,  gentlemen,  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  your  senti 
ments  on  the  occasion.  Just  have  the  condescension  to  point 
out  the  category." 

Mr.  Dodge  came  from  a  part  of  the  country  in  which  men 
were  accustomed  to  think,  act,  almost  to  eat  and  drink  and 
sleep,  in  common  ;  or,  in  any  other  words,  from  one  of  those 
regions  in  America,  in  which  there  was  so  much  community, 
that  few  had  the  moral  courage,  even  when  they  possessed  the 
knowledge,  and  all  the  other  necessary  means,  to  cause  their 


II  O  M  E  W  A  II  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  49 

individuality  to  be  respected.  When  the  usual  process  of  con 
ventions,  sub-conventions,  caucuses,  and  public  meetings  did 
not  supply  the  means  of  a  "  concentrated  action,"  he  and  his 
neighbors  had  long  been  in  the  habit  of  having  recourse  to 
societies,  by  way  of  obtaining  "  energetic  means,"  as  it  was 
termed ;  and  from  his  tenth  year  up  to  his  twenty-fifth,  this 
gentleman  had  been  either  a  president,  vice-president,  manager, 
or  committee-man,  of  some  philosophical,  political,  or  religious 
expedient  to  fortify  human  wisdom,  make  men  better,  and  resist 
error  and  despotism.  His  experience  had  rendered  him  expert 
in  what  may  well  enough  be  termed  the  language  of  associa 
tion.  No  man  of  his  years,  in  the  twenty-six  States,  could 
more  readily  apply  the  terms  of  "  taking  up" — "  excitement" — 
"  unqualified  hostility" — u  public  opinion" — "  spreading  before 
the  public,"  or  any  other  of  those  generic  phrases  that  imply 
the  privileges  of  all,  and  the  rights  of  none.  Unfoitunately, 
the  pronunciation  of  this  person  was  not  as  pure  as  his  motives, 
and  he  misunderstood  the  captain  when  he  spoke  of  comity,  as 
meaning  a  "  committee  ;"  and  although  it  was  not  quite  obvious 
what  the  worthy  mariner  could  intend  by  "  obliged  in  com 
mittee  (comity)  to  heave-to,"  yet,  as  he  had  known  these  bodies 
to  do  so  many  "  energetic  things,"  he  did  not  see  why  they 
might  not  perform  this  evolution  as  well  as  another. 

"  It  really  does  appear,  Captain  Truck,"  he  remarked  accord 
ingly,  "  that  our  situation  approaches  a  crisis,  and  the  sugges 
tion  of  a  comity  (committee)  strikes  me  as  being  peculiarly 
proper  and  suitable  to  the  circumstances,  and  in  strict  conformi 
ty  with  republican  usages.  In  order  to  save  time,  and  that  the 
gentleman  who  shall  be  appointed  to  serve  may  have  oppor 
tunity  to  report,  therefore,  I  will  at  once  nominate  Sir  George 
Templemore  as  chairman,  leaving  it  for  any  other  gentlemen 
present  to  suggest  the  name  of  any  candidate  he  may  deem 
proper.  I  will  only  add,  that  in  my  poor  judgment  this  comity 
(committee)  ought  to  consist  of  at  least  three,  and  that  it  have 
power  to  send  for  persons  and  papers." 


50  H  0  M  E  W  A  K  D      B  O  L"  X  D  . 

"I  would  propose  five,  Captain  Truck,  by  way  of  amend 
ment,"  added  another  passenger  of  the  same  kidney  as  the  last 
speaker,  gentlemen  of  their  school  making  it  a  point  to  differ  a 
little  from  every  proposition  by  way  of  showing  their  independ 
ence. 

It  was  fortunate  for  both  the  mover  of  the  original  motion, 
and  for  the  proposer  of  the  amendment,  that  the  master  was 
acquainted  with  the  character  of  Mr.  Dodge,  or  a  proposition 
that  his  ship  was  to  be  worked  by  a  committee  (or  indeed  by 
comity),  would  have  been  very  likely  to  meet  with  but  an  in 
different  reception ;  but,  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  laughing 
eyes  of  Eve,  as  well  as  of  the  amused  faces  of  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Mr.  Blunt,  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  he  very  gravely  signified 
his  entire  approbation  of  the  chairman  named,  and  his  perfect 
readiness  to  listen  to  the  report  of  the  aforesaid  committee  as 
soon  as  it  might  be  prepared  to  make  it. 

"  And  if  your  committee,  or  comity,  gentlemen,"  he  added, 
"  can  tell  me  what  Vattel  would  say  about  the  obligation  to 
heave-to  in  a  time  of  profound  peace,  and  when  the  ship  or 
boat  in  chase  can  have  no  belligerent  rights,  I  shall  be  grateful 
to  my  dying  day ;  for  I  have  looked  him  through  as  closely  as 
old  women  usually  examine  almanacs  to  tell  which  way  the 
wind  is  about  to  blow,  and  I  fear  he  has  overlooked  the  subject 
altogether" 

Mr.  Dodge,  and  three  or  four  more  of  the  same  community- 
propensity  as  himself,  soon  settled  the  names  of  the  rest  of  the 
committee,  when  the  nominees  retired  to  another  part  of  the 
deck  to  consult  together;  Sir  George  Templemore,  to  the  sur 
prise  of  all  the  Effingham  party,  consenting  to  serve  with  a 
willingness  that  rather  disregarded  forms. 

"  It  might  be  convenient  to  refer  other  matters  to  this  com 
mittee,  captain,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  who  had  tact  enough  to  see 
that  nothing  but  her  habitual  retenue  of  deportment  kept  Eve, 
whose  bright  eyes  were  dancing  with  humor,  from  downright 
laughter;  "these  are  the  important  points  of  reefing  and  furl- 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  51 

ing,  the  courses  to  be  steered,  the  sail  to  be  carried,  the  times 
and  seasons  of  calling  all  hands  together,  with  sundry  other 
customary  duties,  that  no  doubt  would  be  well  treated  on  in 
this  forthcoming  report." 

"  No  doubt,  sir ;  I  perceive  you  have  been  at  sea  before,  and 
I  am  sorry  you  were  overlooked  in  naming  the  members  of  the 
comity ;  take  my  word  for  it,  all  that  you  have  mentioned  can 
be  done  on  board  the  Montauk  by  a  comity,  as  well  as  settling 
the  question  of  heaving-to,  or  not,  for  yonder  boat.  By  the 
way,  Mr.  Leach,  the  fellows  have  tacked,  and  are  standing  in 
this  direction,  thinking  to  cross  our  bows  and  speak  us.  Mr. 
Attorney,  the  tide  is  setting  us  off  the  land,  and  you  may 
make  it  morning  before  you  get  into  your  nests,  if  you  hold  on 
much  longer.  I  fear  Mrs.  Seal  and  Mrs.  Grab  will  be  unhappy 
women." 

The  bloodhounds  of  the  law  heard  this  warning  with  indif 
ference,  for  they  expected  succor  of  some  sort,  though  they 
hardly  knew  of  what  sort,  from  the  man-of-war's  boat,  which, 
it  was  now  plain  enough,  must  weather  on  the  ship.  After 
putting  their  heads  together,  Mr.  Seal  offered  his  companion  a 
pinch  of  snuff,  helping  himself  afterwards,  like  a  man  indiffer 
ent  to  the  result,  and  one  patient  in  time  of  duty.  The  sun 
burnt  face  of  the  captain,  whose  standing  color  was  that  which 
cooks  get  when  the  fire  burns  the  brightest,  but  whose  hues  no 
fire  or  cold  ever  varied,  was  turned  fully  on  the  two,  and  it  is 
probable  they  would  have  received  some  decided  manifes 
tation  of  his  will,  had  not  Sir  George  Templemore,  with  the 
four  other  committee-men,  approached  to  give  in  the  result  of 
their  conference. 

"We  are  of  opinion,  Captain  Truck,"  said  the  baroner, 
"  that,  as  the  ship  is  under  way,  and  your  voyage  may  be  fairly 
said  to  have  commenced,  it  is  quite  inexpedient  and  altogether 
unnecessary  for  you  to  anchor  again ;  but  that  it  is  your 
duty—" 

"  I  have  no  occasion  for  advice  as  to  my  duty,  gentlemen. 


52  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

If  you  can  let  me  know  what  Vattel  says,  or  ought  to  have 
said,  on  the  subject,  or  touching  the  category  of  the  right  of 
search,  except  as  a  belligerent  right,  I  will  thank  you;  if  not, 
we  must  e'en  guess  at  it.  I  have  not  sailed  a  ship  in  this  trade 
these  ten  years  to  need  any  jogging  of  the  memory  about  port- 
jurisdiction  either,  for  these  are  matters  in  which  one  gets  to 
be  expert  by  dint  of  use,  as  my  old  master  used  to  say  when  he 
called  us  from  table  with  half  a  dinner.  Now,  there  was  the 
case  of  the  blacks  in  Charleston,  in  which  our  government 
showed  clearly  it  had  not  studied  Vattel,  or  it  never  would  have 
given  the  answer  it  did.  Perhaps  you  never  heard  that  case, 
Sir  George,  and  as  it  touches  a  delicate  principle,  I  will  just  run 
over  the  category  lightly ;  for  it  has  its  points,  as  well  as  a 
coast." 

"  Does  not  this  matter  press — may  not  the  boat — v 
"  The  boat  will  do  nothing,  gentlemen,  without  the  permis 
sion  of  Jack  Truck.  You  must  know,  the  Carolinians  have  a 
law  that  all  niggers  brought  into  their  State  by  ships,  must  be 
caged  until  the  vessel  sails  again.  This  is  to  prevent  emanci 
pation,  as  they  call  it,  or  abolition,  I  know  not  which.  An 
Englishman  comes  in  from  the  islands  with  a  crew  of  blacks, 
and,  according  to  law,  the  authorities  of  Charleston  house  them 
all  before  night.  John  Bull  complains  to  his  minister,  and  his 
minister  sends  a  note  to  our  secretary,  and  our  secretary  writes 
to  the  governor  of  Carolina,  calling  on  him  to  respect  the 
treaty,  and  so  on.  Gentlemen,  I  need  not  tell  you  what  a  treaty 
is — it  is  a  thing  in  itself  to  be  obeyed ;  but  it  is  all-important 
to  know  what  it  commands.  Well,  what  was  this  said  treaty  ? 
That  John  should  come  in  and  out  of  the  ports,  on  the  footing 
of  the  most  favored  nation ;  on  the  statu  quo  ante  bellum  prin 
ciple,  as  Yattel  has  it.  Now,  the  Carolinians  treated  John  just 
as  they  treated  Jonathan,  and  there  was  no  more  to  be  said. 
All  parties  were  bound  to  enter  the  port,  subject  to  the  munici 
pals,  as  is  set  forth  in  Vattel.  That  was  a  case  soon  settled, 
you  perceive,  though  depending  on  a  nicety." 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  53 

Sir  George  Lad  listened  with  extreme  impatience,  but,  fearful 
of  offending,  he  listened  to  the  end;* then,  seizing  the  first 
pause  in  the  captain's  discourse,  he  resumed  his  remonstrances 
with  an  interest  that  did  infinite  credit  to  his  humanity,  at  the 
same  time  that  he  overlooked  none  of  the  obligations  of  politeness. 

"  An  exceedingly  clear  case,  I  protest,"  he  answered,  "  and 
capitally  put — I  question  if  Lord  Stowell  could  do  it  better — 
and  exceedingly  apt,  that  about  the  ante  bellum  ;  but  I  confess 
my  feelings  have  not  been  so  much  roused  for  a  long  time  as 
they  have  been  on  account  of  these  poor  people.  There  is 
something  inexpressibly  painful  in  being  disappointed  as  one  is 
setting  out  in  the  morning  of  life,  as  it  were,  in  this  cruel  man 
ner  ;  and  rather  than  see  this  state  of  things  protracted,  I  would 
prefer  paying  a  trifle  out  of  my  own  pocket.  If  this  wretched 
attorney  will  consent,  now,  to  take  a  hundred  pounds  and  quit 
us,  and  carry  back  with  him  that  annoying  cutter  with  the  lug- 
sails,  I  will  give  him  the  money  most  cheerfully — most  cheer 
fully,  I  protest." 

There  is  something  so  essentially  respectable  in  practical 
generosity,  that,  though  Eve  and  all  the  curious  auditors  of 
what  was  passing  felt  an  inclination  to  laugh  at  the  whole  pro 
cedure  up  to  this  declaration,  eye  met  eye  in  commendation  of 
the  liberality  of  the  baronet.  He  had  shown  he  had  a  heart,  in 
the  opinion  of  most  of  those  who. heard  him,  though  his  previ 
ous  conversation  had  led  several  of  the  observers  to  distrust  his 
having  the  usual  quantum  of  head. 

"Give  yourself  no  trouble  about  the  attorney,  Sir  George," 
returned  the  captain,  shaking  the  other  cordially  by  the  hand ; 
"  he  shall  not  touch  a  pound  of  your  money,  nor  do  I  think  he 
is  likely  to  touch  Robert  Davis.  We  have  caught  the  tide  on 
our  lee  bow,  and  the  current  is  wheeling  us  up  to  windward, 
like  an  opposition  coach  flying  over  Blackheath.'  In  a  few- 
minutes  we  shall  be  in  blue  water ;  and  then  I'll  give  the  rascal 
a  touch  of  Vattel  that  will  throw  him  all  aback,  if  it  don't  throw 
him  overboard." 


54  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"But  the  cutter?'' 

"  Why,  if  we  drive  tiie  attorney  and  Grab  out  of  the  ship, 
there  will  be  no  process  in  the  hands  of  the  others,  by  which 
they  can  carry  off  the  man,  even  admitting  the  jurisdiction. 
I  know  the  scoundrels,  and  not  a  shilling  shall  either  of  the 
knaves  take  from  this  vessel  with  my  consent.  Ilarkee,  Sir 

George,  a  word  in  your  ear :  two  of  as  d d  cockroaches  as 

ever  rummaged  a  ship's  breadroom ;  I'll  see  that  they  soon 
heave  about,  or  I'll  heave  them  both  into  their  boat,  with  my 
own  fair  hands." 

The  captain  was  about  to  turn  away  to  examine  the  position 
of  the  cutter,  when  Mr.  Dodge  asked  permission  to  make  a 
short  report  in  behalf  of  the  minority  of  the  comity  (commit 
tee),  the  amount  of  which  was,  that  they  agreed  in  all  things 
with  the  majority,  except  on  the  point  that,  as  it  might  be 
come  expedient  for  the  ship  to  anchor  again  in  some  of  the 
ports  lower  down  the  Channel,  it  would  be  wise  to  keep  that 
material  circumstance  in  view,  in  making  up  a  final  decision  in 
the  affair.  This  report,  on  the  part  of  the  minority,  which 
Mr.  Dodge  explained  to  the  baronet,  partook  rather  of  the 
character  of  a  caution  than  of  a  protest,  had  quite  as  little  in 
fluence  on  Captain  Truck  as  the  opinion  of  the  majority,  for  he 
was  just  one  of  those  persons  who  seldom  took  advice  that  did 
not  conform  with  his  own  previous  decision ;  but  he  coolly  con 
tinued  to  examine  the  cutter,  which,  bv  this  time,  was  stand 
ing  on  the  same  course  as  the  ship,  a  short  distance  to  wind 
ward  of  her,  and  edging  a  little  off  the  wind,  so  as  to  bring  the 
two  nearer  to  each  other,  every  yard  they  advanced. 

The  wind  had  freshened  to  a  little  breeze,  and  the  captain 
nodded  his  head  with  satisfaction  when  he  heard,  even  where 
he  stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  the  slapping  of  the  sluggish  swell, 
as  the  huge  bows  of  the  ship  parted  the  water.  At  this 
moment  those  in  the  cutter  saw  the  bubbles  glide  swiftly  past 
them,  while  to  those  in  the  Montauk  the  motion  was  still  slow 
and  heavy ;  and  yet,  of  the  two,  the  actual  velocity  was  rather 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  O^ 

in  favor  of  the  latter,  both  having  about  what  is  technically 
termed  "  four-knot  way"  on  them.  The  officer  of  the  boat  was 
quick  to  detect  the  change  that  was  acting  against  him,  and  by 
easing  the  sheets  of  his  lug-sails,  and  keeping  the  cutter  as 
much  oft'  the  wind  as  he  could,  he  was  soon  within  a  hundred 
feet  of  the  ship,  running  along  on  hpr  weather-beam.  The 
bright  soft  moonlight  permitted  the  face  of  a  young  man  in  a 
man-of-war  cap,  who  wore  the  undress  uniform  of  a  sea  lieuten 
ant,  to  be  distinctly  seen,  as  he  rose  in  the  stern-sheets,  which 
contained  also  two  other  persons. 

"  I  will  thank  you  to  heave-to  the  Montauk,"  said  the  lieu 
tenant,  civilly,  while  he  raised  his  cap,  apparently  in  compli 
ment  to  the  passengers  who  crowded  the  rail  to  see  and  hear 
what  passed.  "  I  am  sent  on  the  duty  of  the  king,  sir." 

"  I  know  your  errand,  sir,"  returned  Captain  Truck,  whose 
resolution  to  refuse  to  comply  was  a  good  deal  shaken  by  the 
gentlemanlike  manner  in  which  the  request  was  made ;  "  and 
I  wish  you  to  bear  witness,  that  if  I  do  consent  to  your  request, 
it  is  voluntarily  5  for,  on  the  principles  laid  down  by  Vattel  and 
the  other  writers  on  international  law,  the  right  of  search  is  a 
belligerent  right,  and  England  being  at  peace,  no  ship  belonging 
to  one  nation  can  have  a  right  to  stop  a  vessel  belonging  to 
another." 

"  I  cannot  enter  into  these  niceties,  sir,"  returned  the  lieuten 
ant,  sharply  :  "  I  have  my  orders,  and  you  will  excuse  me  if  I 
say,  I  intend  to  execute  them." 

"  Execute  them  with  all  my  heart,  sir :  if  you  are  ordered  to 
heave-to  my  ship,  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  get  on  board,  if  you 
can,  and  let  us  see  the  style  in  which  you  handle  yards.  As  to 
the  people  now  stationed  at  the  braces,  the  trumpet  that  will 
make  them  stir  is  not  to  be  spoken  through  at  the  Admiralty. 
The  fellow  has  spirit  in  him,  and  I  like  his  principles  as  an 
officer,  but  I  cannot  admit  his  conclusions  as  a  jurist.  If  he 
flatters  himself  with  being  able  to  frighten  us  into  a  new  cate 
gory,  now,  that  is  likely  to  impair  national  rights,  the  lad  has 


50  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  0  U  N  D  . 

just  got  himself  into  a  problem  that  will  need  all  his  logic,  and 
a  good  deal  of  his  spirit,  to  get  out  of  again." 

"  You  will  scarcely  think  of  resisting  a  king's  officer  in  British 
waters  !"  said  the  young  roan,  with  that  haughtiness  that  the 
meekest  tempers  soon  learn  to  acquire  under  a  pennant. 

"  Resisting,  my  dear  sir  !  I  resist  nothing.  The  misconception 
is  in  supposing  that  you  sail  this  ship  instead  of  John  Truck. 
That  is  my  name,  sir;  John  Truck.  Do  your  errand  in  wel 
come,  but  do  not  ask  me  to  help  you.  Come  aboard,  with  all 
my  heart ;  nothing  would  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  take 
wine  with  you ;  but  I  see  no  necessity  of  stopping  a  packet, 
that  is  busy  on  a  long  road,  without  an  object,  as  we  say  on  the 
other  side  of  the  big  waters." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  the  lieutenant,  with  the  sort 
of  hesitation  that  a  gentleman  is  apt  to  feel  when  he  makes  a 
proposal  that  he  knows  ought  not  to  be  accepted,  called  out 
that  those  in  the  boat  with  him  would  pay  for  the  detention 
of  the  ship.  A  more  unfortunate  proposition  could  not  be  made 
to  Captain  Truck,  who  would  have  hove-to  his  ship  in  a  moment 
had  the  lieutenant  proposed  to  discuss  Vattel  with  him  on  the 
quarter-deck,  and  who  was  only  holding  out  as  a  sort  of  salvo 
to  his  rights,  with  that  disposition  to  resist  aggression  that  the 
experience  of  the  last  forty  years  has  so  deeply  implanted  in 
the  bosom  of  every  American  sailor,  in  cases  connected  with 
English  naval  officers,  and  who  had  just  made  up  his  mind  to 
let  Robert  Davis  take  his  chance,  and  to  crack  a  bottle  with 
the  handsome  young  man  who  was  still  standing  up  in  the  boat. 
But  Mr.  Truck  had  been  too  often  to  London  not  to  understand 
exactly  the  manner  in  which  Englishmen  appreciate  American 
character ;  and,  among  other  things,  he  knew  it  was  the  general 
opinion  in  the  island  that  money  could  do  any  thing  with 
Jonathan,  or,  as  Christophe  is  said  once  to  have  sententiously 
expressed  the  same  sentiment,  "If  there  were  a  bag  of  coffee  in 
h — ,  a  Yankee  could  be  found  to  go  and  bring  it  out." 

The  master  of  the  Montauk  had  a  proper  relish  for  his  lawful 


II  OMEWA  II  D     BOUND.  57 

gains  as  well  as  another,  but  he  was  vain-glorious  on  the  subject 
of  his  countrymen,  principally  because  he  found  that  the  pack 
ets  outsailed  all  other  merchant  ships,  arid  fiercely  proud  of  any 
quality  that  others  were  disposed  to  deny  them. 

At  hearing  this  proposal,  or  intimation,  therefore,  instead  of 
accepting  it,  Captain  Truck  raised  his  hat  with  formal  civility, 
and  coolly  wished  the  other  "  good-night."  This  was  bringing 
the  affair  to  a  crisis  at  once  ;  for  the  helm  of  the  cutter  was  borne 
up,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  run  the  boat  alongside  of  the 
ship.  But  the  breeze  had  been  steadily  increasing,  the  air  had 
grown  heavier  as  the  night  advanced,  and  the  dampness  of 
evening  was  thickening  the  canvas  of  the  coarser  sails  in  a  way 
sensibly  to  increase  the  speed  of  the  ship.  When  the  conver 
sation  commenced,  the  boat  was  abreast  of  the  fore-rigging; 
and  by  the  time  it  ended,  it  was  barely  up  with  the  mizen.  The 
lieutenant  was  quick  to  see  the  disadvantage  he  labored  under, 
and  he  called  out  "  Heave  !"  as  he  found  the  cutter  was  falling 
close  under  the  counter  of  the  ship,  and  would  be  in  her  wake 
in  another  minute.  The  bowman  of  the  boat  cast  a  light  grap- 
nell  with  so  much  precision,  that  it  hooked  in  the  mizzen  rig 
ging,  and  the  line  instantly  tightened  so  as  to  tow  the  cutter. 
A  seaman  was  passing  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  hurricane- 
house  at  the  moment,  coming  from  the  wheel,  and  with  the 
decision  of  an  old  salt,  he  quietly  passed  his  knife  across  the 
stretched  cordage,  and  it  snapped  like  pack-thread.  The  grap 
nel  fell  into  the  sea,  and  the  boat  was  tossino-  in  the  wake  of 

O 

the  ship,  all  as  it  might  be  while  one  could  draw  a  breath.  To 
furl  the  sails  and  ship  the  oars  consumed  but  an  instant,  and 
then  the  cutter  was  ploughing  the  water  under  the  vigorous 
strokes  of  her  crew. 

"  Spirited  !  spirited  and  nimble  !"  observed  Captain  Truck, 
who  stood  coolly  leaning  against  a  shroud,  in  a  position  where 
lie  could  command  a  view  of  all  that  was  passing,  improving 
the  opportunity  to  shake  the  ashes  from  his  cigar  while  he 
spoke  ;  "  a  fine  young  fellow,  and  one  who  will  make  an  admiral, 

3* 


58  H  O  M  E  W  A  K  D      BOUND. 

or  something  better,  I  dare  say,  if  he  live ; — perhaps  a  cherub, 
in  time.  Now,  if  he  pull  much  longer  in  the  back-water  of  our 
wake,  I  shall  have  to  give  him  up,  Leach,  as  a  little  marin-t&A : 
ah  !  there  he  sheers  out  of  it,  like  a  sensible  youth  as  he  is  ! 
Well,  there  is  something  pleasant  in  the  conceit  of  a  six-oared 
boat's  carrying  a  London  liner  by  boarding,  even  admitting  the 
lad  could  have  got  alongside." 

So,  it  would  seem,  thought  Mr.  Leach  and  the  crew  of  the 
Montauk ;  for  they  were  clearing  the  decks  with  as  much  phi 
losophy  as  men  ever  discover  when  employed  in  an  unthankful 
office. 

This  sang-froid  of  seamen  is  always  matter  of  surprise  to 
landsmen ;  but  adventurers  who  have  been  rocked  in  the 
tempest  for  years,  whose  utmost  security  is  a  great  hazard,  and 
whose  safety  constantly  depends  on  the  command  of  the  facul 
ties,  come  in  time  to  experience  an  apathy  on  the  subject  of  all 
the  minor  terrors  and  excitements  of  life,  that  none  can  acquire 
unless  by  habit  and  similar  risks.  There  was  a  low  laugh 
among  the  people,  and  now  and  then  a  curious  glance  of  the 
eye  over  the  quarter,  to  ascertain  the  position  of  the  struggling 
boat;  but  there  the  effect  of  the  little  incident  ceased,  so  far  as 
the  seamen  were  concerned. 

Not  so  with  the  passengers.  The  Americans  exulted  at  the 
failure  of  the  man-of-war's  man  ;  and  the  English  doubted. 
To  them,  deference  to  the  crown  was  habitual,  and  they  were 
displeased  at  seeing  a  stranger  play  a  king's  boat  such  a  trick, 
in  what  they  justly  enough  thought  to  be  British  waters. 
Although  the  law  may  not  give  a  man  any  more  right  than 
another  to  the  road  before  his  own  door,  he  comes  in  time  to 
fancy  it,  in  a  certain  degree,  his  particular  road.  Strictly  speak 
ing,  the  Montauk  was  perhaps  still  under  the  dominion  of  the 
English  laws,  though  she  had  been  a  league  from  the  land  when 
laying  at  her  anchor,  and  by  this  time  the  tide  and  her  own 
velocity  had  swept  her  broad  off  into  the  offing  quite  as  far 
again ;  indeed,  she  had  now  got  to  such  a  distance  from  the 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  59 

land,  that  Captain  Truck  thought  it  his  "  duty"  to  bring  matters 
to  a  conclusion  with  the  attorney. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Seal,"  he  said,  "  I  am  grateful  for  the  pleasure 
of  your  company  thus  far  ;  but  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  decline 
taking  you  and  Mr.  Grab  quite  to  America.  Half  an  hour 
hence  you  will  hardly  be  able  to  find  the  island  ;  for  as  soon  as 
we  have  got  to  a  proper  distance  from  the  cutter,  I  shall  tack  to 
the  southwest,  and  you  ought,  moreover,  to  remember  the 
anxiety  of  the  ladies  at  home." 

"  This  may  turn  out  a  serious  matter,  Captain  Truck,  on  your 
return  passage !  The  laws  of  England  are  not  to  be  trifled 
with.  Will  you  oblige  me  by  ordering  the  steward  to  hand  me 
a  glass  of  water  ?  Waiting  for  justice  is  dry  duty,  I  find." 

"Extremely  sorry  I  cannot  comply,  gentlemen.  Vattel  has 
nothing  on  the  subject  of  watering  belligerents,  or  neutrals,  and 
the  laws  of  Congress  compel  me  to  carry  so  many  gallons  to 
the  man.  If  you  will  take  it  in  the  way  of  a  nightcap,  how 
ever,  and  drink  success  to  our  run  to  America,  and  your  own 
to  the  shore,  it  shall  be  in  champagne,  if  you  happen  to  like 
that  agreeable  fluid." 

The  attorney  was  about  to  express  his  readiness  to  compro 
mise  on  these  terms,  when  a  glass  of  the  beverage  for  which  he 
had  first  asked  was  put  into  his  hand  by  the  wife  of  Robert 
Davis.  He  took  the  water,  drank  it,  and  turned  from  the 
woman  with  the  obduracy  of  one  who  never  suffered  feeling  to 
divert  him  from  the  pursuit  of  gain.  The  wine  was  brought, 
and  the  captain  filled  the  glasses  with  a  seaman's  heartiness. 

"  I  drink  to  your  safe  return  to  Mrs.  Seal,  and  the  little  gods 
and  goddesses  of  justice, — Pan  or  Mercury,  which  is  it?  And 
as  for  you,  Grab,  look  out  for  sharks  as  you  pull  in.  If  they 
bear  of  your  being  afloat,  the  souls  of  persecuted  sailors  will 
set  them  on  you,  as  the  devil  chases  male  coquettes.  Well, 
gentlemen,  you  are  balked  this  time  ;  but  what  matters  it  ?  It 
is  but  another  man  got  safe  out  of  a  country  that  has  too  many 
in  it;  and  I  trust  wo,  shall  meet  good  friends  again  this  day 


CO  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

four  months.  Even  man  and  wife  must  part,  when  the  hour 
arrives." 

"  That  will  depend  on  how  my  client  views  your  conduct  on 
this  occasion,  Captain  Truck ;  for  he  is  not  a  man  that  it  is 
always  safe  to  thwart." 

"  That  for  your  client,  Mr.  Seal !"  returned  the  captain,  snap 
ping  his  fingers.  "  I  am  not  to  be  frightened  with  an  attorney's 
growl,  or  a  bailiff's  nod.  You  come  off  with  a  writ  or  a  war 
rant,  I  care  not  which  ;  I  offer  no  resistance  ;  you  hunt  for  your 
man,  like  a  terrier  looking  for  a  rat,  and  can't  find  him  ;  I  see 
the  fine  fellow,  at  this  moment,  on  deck, — but  I  feel  no  obliga 
tion  to  tell  you  who  or  where  he  is ;  my  ship  is  cleared  and  I 
sail,  and  you  have  no  power  to  stop  me ;  wo  are  outside  of  all 
the  head-lands,  good  two  leagues  and  a  half  off,  and  some  wri 
ters  say  that  a  gun-shot  is  the  extent  of  your  jurisdiction,  once 
out  of  which,  your  authority  is  not  worth  half  as  much  as  that 
of  my  chief  cook,  who  has  power  to  make  his  mate  clean  the 
coppers.  Well,  sir,  you  stay  here  ten  minutes  longer  and  we 
shall  be  fully  three  leagues  from  your  nearest  land,  and  then 
you  are  in  America,  according  to  law,  and  a  quick  passage  you 
will  have  made  of  it.  Now,  that  is  what  I  call  a  category." 

As  the  captain  made  this  last  remark,  his  quick  eye  saw  that 
the  wind  had  hauled  so  far  round  to  the  westward,  as  to  super 
sede  the  necessity  of  tacking,  and  that  they  were  actually  go 
ing  eight  knots  in  a  direct  line  from  Portsmouth.  Casting*  an 
eye  behind  him,  he  perceived  that  the  cutter  had  given  up  the 
chase,  and  was  returning  towards  the  distant  roads.  Under 
circumstances  so  discouraging,  the  attorney,  who  began  to  be 
alarmed  for  his  boat,  which  was  flying  along  on  the  water, 
towed  by  the  ship,  prepared  to  take  his  leave ;  for  he  was  fully 
aware  that  he  had  no  power  to  compel  the  other  to  heave-to 
his  ship,  to  enable  him  to  get  out  of  her.  Luckily  the  water 
was  still  tolerably  smooth,  and  with  fear  and  trembling,  Mr. 
Seal  succeeded  in  blundering  into  the  boat ;  not,  however,  until 
the  watermen  had  warned  him  of  their  intention  to  hold  on  no 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  .  C  1 

longer.  Mr.  Grab  followed,  with  a  good  deal  of  difficulty,  and 
just  as  a  hand  was  about  to  let  go  the  painter,  the  captain  ap 
peared  at  the  gangway  with  the  man  they  were  in  quest  of,  and 
said  iu  his  most  winning  manner — 

"  Mr.  Grab,  Mr.  Davis  ;  Mr.  Davis,  Mr.  Grab  :  I  seldom  intro 
duce  steerage  passengers,  but  to  oblig'O  two  old  friends  I  break 
the  rule.  That's  what  I  call  a  category.  My  compliments  to 
Mrs.  Grab.  Let  go  the  painter." 

The  words  were  no  sooner  uttered  than  the  boat  was  tossing 
and  whirling  in  the  caldron  left  by  the  passing  ship. 


HOMEWARD      BO  U  X  I) 


CHAPTER   Y. 

<;  What  country,  friends,  is  this? 
Illyria,  lady  " 

TV.'KLFTII  NIGHT. 

CAPTAIN  TRUCK  cast  an  eye  aloft  to  see  if  every  thing  drew, 
as  coolly  as  if  nothing  out  of  the  usual  course  had  happened  ; 
he  and  his  crew  having,  seemingly,  regarded  the  attempt  to 
board  them  as  men  regard  the  natural  phenomena  of  the  plan 
ets,  or  in  other  words,  as  if  the  ship,  of  which  they  were  merely 
parts,  had  escaped  by  her  own  instinct  or  volition.  This  habit 
of  considering  the  machine  as  the  governing  principle  is  rather 
general  among  seamen,  who  while  they  ease  a  brace,  or  drag  a 
bowline,  as  the  coachman  checks  a  rein,  appear  to  think  it  is 
only  permitting  the  creature  to  work  her  own  will  a  little  more 
freely.  It  is  true  all  know  better,  but  none  talk,  or  indeed 
would  seem  to  feel,  as  if  they  thought  otherwise. 

"Did  you  observe  how  the  old  barky  jumped  out  of  the  way 
of  those  rovers  in  the  cutter?"  said  the  captain  complacently 
to  the  quarter-deck  group,  when  his  survey  aloft  had  taken  suf 
ficient  heed  that  his  own  nautical  skill  should  correct  the  instinct 
of  the  ship.  "A  skittish  horse,  or  a  whale  with  the  irons  in  him, 
or,  for  that  matter,  one  of  the  funniest  of  your  theatricals,  would 
not  have  given  a  prettier  aside  than  this  poor  old  hulk,  which 
is  certainly  just  the  clumsiest  craft  that  sails  the  ocean.  I  wish 
King  William  would  take  it  into  his  royal  head,  now,  to  send 
one  of  his  light-heeled  cruisers  out  to  prove  it,  by  way  of  re 
senting  the  cantaverous  trick  the  Montauk  played  his  boat  P 

The  dull  report  of  a  gun,  as  the  sound  came  short  and  dead 
ened  up  against  the  breeze,  cheeked  the  raillery  of  Mr.  Truck. 


HO  ME  WARD      BOUND.  G3 

On  looking  to  leeward,  there  was  sufficient  light  to  see  the 
symmetrical  sails  of  the  corvette  they  had  left  at  anchor,  trim 
med  close  by  the  wind,  and  the  vessel  itself  standing  out  under 
a  press  of  canvas,  apparently  in  chase.  The  gun  had  evi 
dently  been  fired  as  a  signal  of  recall  to  the  cutter,  blue  lights 
being  burnt  on  board  of  both  the  ship  and  its  boat,  in  proof 
that  they  were  communicating. 

The  passengers  now  looked  gravely  at  each  other,  for  the 
matter,  in  their  eyes,  began  to  be  serious.  Some  suggested  the 
possibility  that  the  offence  of  Davis  might  be  other  than  debt, 
but  this  was  disproved  by  the  process  and  the  account  of  the 
bailiff  himself;  while  most  concluded  that  a  determination  to 
resent  the  slight  done  the  authorities  had  caused  the  cruiser  to 
follow  them  out,  with  the  intention  of  carrying  them  back 
again.  The  English  passengers,  in  particular,  began  now  to 
reason  in  favor  of  the  authority  of  the  crown,  while  those  who 
were  known  to  be  Americans  grew  warm  in  maintaining  the 
rights  of  their  flag.  Both  the  Effinghams,  however,  were 
moderate  in  the  expression  of  their  opinions  ;  for  education, 
years,  and  experience,  had  taught  them  to  discriminate  justly. 

"As  respects  the  course  of  Captain  Truck,  in  refusing  to  per 
mit  the  cutter  to  board  him,  he  is  probably  a  better  judge  than 
any  of  us,"  Mr.  Effingham  observed  with  gentlemanly  reserve — 
"  for  he  must  better  understand  the  precise  position  of  his  ship 
at  the  time  ;  but  concerning  the  want  of  right  in  a  foreign  ves 
sel  of  war  to  carry  this  ship  into  port  in  a  time  of  profound 
peace,  when  sailing  on  the  high  seas,  as  will  soon  be  the  case 
with  the  Montauk, — admitting  that  she  is  not  there  at  present, — 
I  should  think  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  The  dispute, 
if  there  is  to  be  any,  has  now  to  become  matter  of  negotiation; 
or  redress  must  be  sought  through  the  general  agents  of  the 
two  nations,  and  not  taken  by  the  inferior  officers  of  either 
party.  The  instant  the  Montauk  reaches  the  public  highway 
of  nations,  she  is  within  the  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  the  coun 
try  under  whose  flag  she  legally  sails." 


64  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     BOUND. 

"  Vattel,  to  the  backbone !"  said  the  captain,  giving  a  nod 
of  approbation,  again  clearing  the  end  of  his  cigar. 

Now,  John  Effing-ham  was  a  man  of  strong  feelings,  which 
is  often  but  another  word  for  a  man  of  strong  prejudices ;  and 
he  had  been  educated  between  thirty  or  forty  years  before, 
which  is  saying  virtually,  that  he  was  educated  under  the  in 
fluence  of  the  British  opinions,  that  then  weighed  (and  many 
of  which  still  weigh)  like  an  incubus  on  the  national  interests 
of  America.  It  is  true,  Mr.  Effingham  was  in  all  senses  the 
contemporary,  as  he  had  been  the  school-fellow,  of  his  cousin  ; 
that  they  loved  each  other  as  brothers,  had  the  utmost  reliance 
on  each  other's  principles  in  the  main,  thought  alike  in  a  thou 
sand  things,  and  yet,  in  the  particular  of  English  domination, 
it  was  scarcely  possible  for  one  man  to  resemble  another  less 
than  the  widowed  kinsman  resembled  the  bachelor. 

Edward  Effingham  was  a  singularly  just-minded  man,  and 
having  succeeded  at  an  early  age  to  his  estate,  he  had  lived 
many  years  in  that  intellectual  retirement  which,  by  withdraw 
ing  him  from  the  strifes  of  the  world,  had  left  a  cultivated  sa 
gacity  to  act  freely  on  a  natural  disposition.  At  the  period 
when  the  entire  republic  was,  in  substance,  exhibiting  the  dis 
graceful  picture  of  a  nation  torn  by  adverse  factions,  that  had 
their  origin  in  interests  alien  to  its  own  ;  when  most  were  either 
Englishmen  or  Frenchmen,  he  had  remained  what  nature,  the 
laws,  and  reason  intended  him  to  be,  an  American.  Enjoying 
the  otium  cum  dignitate  on  his  hereditary  estate,  and  in  his 
hereditary  abode,  Edward  Effingham,  with  little  pretensions  to 
greatness,  and  with  many  claims  to  goodness,  had  hit  the  line 
of  truth  which  so  many  of  the  "godlikes"  of  the  republic, 
under  the  influence  of  their  passions,  and  stimulated  by  the 
transient  and  fluctuating  interests  of  the  day,  entirely  over 
looked,  or  which,  if  seeing,  they  recklessly  disregarded.  A  less 
impracticable  subject  for  excitement, — the  prinwm  mobile  of  all 
American  patriotism  and  activity,  if  we  are  to  believe  the 
theories  of  the  times, — could  not  be  found,  than  this  gentle- 


H  O  M  E  W  A  U  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  65 

man.  Independence  of  situation  had  induced  independence  of 
thought ;  study  and  investigation  rendered  him  original  and 
just,  by  simply  exempting  him  from  the  influence  of  the  pas 
sions  ;  and  while  hundreds  were  keener,  abler  in  the  exposition 
of  subtleties,  or  more  imposing  with  the  mass,  few  were  as  often 
right,  and  none  of  less  selfishness,  than  this  simple-minded  and 
upright  gentleman.  He  loved  his  native  land,  while  he  saw  and 
regretted  its  weaknesses ;  was  its  firm  and  consistent  advocate 
abroad,  without  becoming  its  interested  or  mawkish  flatterer  at 
home,  and  at  all  times,  and  in  all  situations,  manifested  that  his 
heart  was  where  it  ought  to  be. 

In  many  essentials,  John  Effingham  was  the  converse  of  all 
this.  Of  an  intellect  much  more  acute  and  vigorous  than  that 
of  his  cousin,  he  also  possessed  passions  less  under  control,  a 
will  more  stubborn,  and  prejudices  that  often  neutralized  his 
reason.  His  father  had  inherited  most  of  the  personal  property 
of  the  family,  and  with  this  he  had  plunged  into  the  voitex  of 
moneyed  speculation  that  succeeded  the  adoption  of  the  new 
constitution,  and  verifying  the  truth  of  the  sacred  saying,  that 
"  where  treasure  is,  there  will  the  heart  be  also,"  he  had  entered 
warmly  and  blindly  into  all  the  factious  and  irreconcilable 
principles  of  party,  if  such  a  word  can  properly  be  applied  to 
rules  of  conduct  that  vary  with  the  interests  of  the  day,  and 
had  adopted  the  current  errors  with  which  faction  unavoidably 
poisons  the  mind. 

America  was  then  much  too  young  in  her  independence,  and 
too  insignificant  in  all  eyes  but  her  own,  to  reason  and  act  for 
herself,  except  on  points  that  pressed  too  obviously  on  her  im 
mediate  concerns  to  be  overlooked  ;  but  the  j^reat  social  princi 
ples, — or  it  might  be  better  to  say,  the  great  social  interests, — 
that  then  distracted  Europe,  produced  quite  as  much  sensation 
in  that  distant  country,  as  at  all  comported  with  a  state  of 
things  that  had  so  little  practical  connection  with  the  result. 
The  Effingham  family  had  started  Federalists,  in  the  true  mean 
ing  of  the  term ;  for  their  education,  native  sense,  and  princi- 


66  H  0  M  E  \V  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  . 

pies,  had  a  leaning  to  order,  good  government,  and  the  dignity 
of  the  country ;  but  as  factions  became  fiercer,  and  names  got 
to  be  confounded  and  contradictory,  the  landed  branch  settled 
down  into  what  they  thought  were  American,  and  the  com 
mercial  branch  into  what  might  properly  be  termed  English 
Federalists.  We  do  not  mean  that  the  father  of  John  intended 
to  be  untrue  to  his  native  laud ;  but  by  following  up  the  dogmas 
of  party  he  had  reasoned  himself  into  a  set  of  maxims  which, 
if  they  meant  any  thing,  meant  every  thing  but  that  which 
had  been  solemnly  adopted  as  the  governing  principles  of  his 
own  country,  and  many  of  which  were  diametrically  opposed 
to  both  its  interests  and  its  honor. 

John  Effingham  had  insensibly  imbibed  the  sentiments  of 
his  particular  sect,  though  the  large  fortune  inherited  from  his 
father  had  left  him  too  independent  to  pursue  the  sinuous  policy 
of  trade.  He  had  permitted  temperament  to  act  on  prejudice 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  vindicated  the  right  of  England  to 
force  men  from  under  the  American  flag,  a  doctrine  that  his 
cousin  was  too  simple-minded  and  clear-headed  ever  to  enter 
tain  for  an  instant ;  and  he  was  singularly  ingenious  in  dis 
covering  blunders  in  all  the  acts  of  the  republic,  when  they 
conflicted  with  the  policy  of  Great  Britain.  In  short,  his 
talents  were  necessary,  perhaps,  to  reconcile  so  much  sophistry, 
or  to  render  that  reasonably  plausible  that  was  so  fundamentally 
false.  After  the  peace  of  1815,  John  Effingham  went  abroad 
for  the  second  time,  and  he  hurried  through  England  with  the 
eagerness  of  strong  affection  ;  an  affection  that  owed  its  exist 
ence  even  more  to  opposition  than  to  settled  notions  of  truth, 
or  to  natural  ties.  The  result  was  disappointment,  as  hap 
pens  nineteen  times  in  twenty,  and  this  solely  because,  in  the 
zeal  of  a  partisan,  he  had  fancied  theories,  arid  imagined  re 
sults.  Like  the  English  radical,  who  rushes  into  America 
with  a  mind  unsettled  by  impracticable  dogmas,  he  experi 
enced  a  reaction,  and  this  chiefly  because  he  found  that  men 
were  not  superior  to  nature,  and  discovered  so  late  in  the  day, 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  67 

what  lie  might  have  known  at  starting,  that  particular  causes 
must  produce  particular  effects.  From  this  time,  John  Effing- 
ham  became  a  wiser  and  a  more  moderate  man  ;  though,  as 
the  shock  had  not  been  sufficiently  violent  to  throw  him  back 
ward  on  truth,  or  rather  upon  the  opposing  prejudices  of  an 
other  sect,  the  remains  of  the  old  notions  were  still  to  be  dis 
covered  lingering  in  his  opinions,  and  throwing  a  species  of 
twilight  shading  over  his  mind ;  as,  in  nature,  the  hues  of  eve 
ning  and  the  shadows  of  the  morning  follow,  or  precede  the 
light  of  the  sun. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  latent  prejudices,  then,  John 
Effingham  replied  to  the  remarks  of  his  cousin,  and  the  dis 
course  soon  partook  of  the  discursive  character  of  all  argu 
ments,  in  which  the  parties  are  not  singularly  clear-headed,  and 
free  from  any  other  bias  than  that  of  truth.  Nearly  all  joined 
in  it,  and  half  an  hour  was  soon  passed  in  settling  the  law  of 
nations,  and  the  particular  merits  or  demerits  of  the  instance 
before  them. 

It  was  a  lovely  night,  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville  and  Eve 
walked  the  deck  for  exercise,  the  smoothness  of  the  water  ren 
dering  the  moment  every  way  favorable.  As  has  been  already 
said,  the  common  feeling  in  the  escape  of  the  new-married 
couple  had  broken  the  ice,  and  less  restraint  existed  between 
the  passengers,  at  the  moment  when  Mr.  Grab  left  the  ship, 
than  would  have  been  the  case  at  the  end  of  a  week,  under 
ordinary  circumstances.  Eve  Effingham  had  passed  her  time 
since  her  eleventh  year  principally  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  in  the  mixed  intercourse  that  is  common  to  strangers  in 
that  part  of  the  world  ;  or,  in  other  words,  equally  without  the 
severe  restraint  that  is  usually  imposed  there  on  the  young  of 
her  own  sex,  or  without  the  extreme  license  that  is  granted  to 
them  at  home.  She  came  of  a  family  too  well  toned  to  run 
into  the  extravagant  freedoms  that  sometimes  pass  for  easy 
manners  in  America,  had  she  never  quitted  her  father's  house 
even  :  but  her  associations  abroad  had  unavoidably  imparted 


C8  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

greater  reserve  to  her  ordinary  deportment  than  the  simplicity 
of  cis-Atlantic  usages  would  have  rendered  indispensable  in 
the  most  fastidious  circles.  With  the  usual  womanly  reserves, 
she  was  natural  and  unembarrassed  in  her  intercourse  with  the 
world,  and  she  had  been  allowed  to  see  so  many  different 
nations,  that  she  had  obtained  a  self-confidence  that  did  her  no 
injury,  under  the  influence  of  an  exemplary  education,  and 
great  natural  dignity  of  mind.  Still,  Mademoiselle  Viefville, 
notwithstanding  she  had  lost  some  of  her  own  peculiar  notions 
on  the  subject,  by  having  passed  so  many  years  in  an  Ameri 
can  family,  was  a  little  surprised  at  observing  that  Eve  received 
the  respectful  advances  of  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt  with  less 
reserve  than  it  was  usual  to  her  to  manifest  to  entire  strangers. 
Instead  of  remaining  a  mere  listener,  she  answered  several 
remarks  of  the  first,  and  once  or  twice  she  even  laughed  with 
him  openly  at  some  absurdity  of  the  committee  of  five.  The 
cautious  governess  wondered,  but  half  disposed  to  fancy  that 
there  was  no  more  than  the  necessary  freedom  of  a  ship  in  it 
all, — for,  like  a  true  Frenchwoman,  Mademoiselle  Viefville  had 
very  vague  notions  of  the  secrets  of  the  mighty  deep — she 
permitted  it  to  pass,  confiding  in  the  long-tried  taste  and  dis 
cretion  of  her  charge.  While  Mr.  Sharp  discoursed  with  Eve, 
who  held  her  arm  the  while,  she  herself  had  fallen  into  an 
animated  conversation  with  Mr.  Blunt,  who  walked  at  her 
side,  and  who  spoke  her  own  language  so  well,  that  she  at 
first  set  him  down  as  a  countryman,  travelling  under  an  Eng 
lish  appellation,  as  a  nom  de  guerre.  While  this  dialogue  was 
at  its  height  of  interest — for  Paul  Blunt  discoursed  with  his 
companion  of  Paris  and  its  excellencies  with  a  skill  that  soon 
absorbed  all  her  attention,  "  Paris,  ce  magnifique  Paric"  hav 
ing  almost  as  much  influence  on  the  happiness  of  the  gover 
ness,  as  it  was  said  to  have  had  on  that  of  Madame  de  Stuel, 
Eve's  companion  dropped  his  voice  to  a  tone  that  was  rather 
confidential  for  a  stranger,  although  it  was  perfectly  respectful, 
and  said — 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  .  69 

"  I  have  flattered  myself,  perliaps  through  the  inlluence  of 
self-love  alone,  that  Miss  Effingham  has  not  so  far  forgotten 
all  whom  she  has  met  in  her  travels,  as  to  think  me  an  utter 
stranger." 

"  Certainly  not,"  returned  Eve,  with  perfect  simplicity  and 
composure ;  "  else  would  one  of  my  faculties,  that  of  memory, 
be  perfectly  useless.  I  knew  you  at  a  glance,  and  consider  the 
worthy  captain's  introduction  as  so  much  finesse  of  breeding 
utterly  thrown  away." 

"  I  am  equally  gratified  and  vexed  at  all  this ;  gratified  and 
infinitely  flattered  to  find  that  I  have  not  passed  before  your 
eyes  like  the  common  herd,  who  leave  no  traces  of  even  their 
features  behind  them ;  and  vexed  at  finding  myself  in  a  situa 
tion  that,  I  fear,  you  fancy  excessively  ridiculous !" 

"  Oh !  one  hardly  dare  to  attach  such  consequences  to  acts 
of  young  men,  or  young  women  either,  in  an  age  as  original 
as  our  own.  I  saw  nothing  particularly  absurd  but  the  intro 
duction  ;  and  so  many  absurder  have  since  passed,  that  this  is 
almost  forgotten." 

"And  the  name—?" 

"  Is  certainly  a  keen  one.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  when  we 
were  in  Italy,  you  \vere  content  to  let  your  servant  bear  it ; 
but,  venturing  among  a  people  so  noted  for  sagacity  as  the 
Yankees,  I  suppose  you  have  fancied  it  was  necessary  to  go 
armed  cap-a-pie" 

Both  laughed  lightly,  as  if  they  equally  enjoyed  the  pleas 
antry,  and  then  he  resumed — 

"But  I  sincerely  hope  you  do  not  impute  improper  motives 
to  the  incognito  ?" 

"  I  impute  it  to  that  which  makes  many  young  men  run 
from  Rome  to  Vienna,  or  from  Vienna  to  Paris ;  which  causes 
you  to  sell  the  vis-a-vis  to  buy  a  dormeuse ;  to  know  your 
friends  to-day,  and  to  forget  them  to-morrow ;  or,  in  short,  to 
do  a  hundred  other  things  that  can  be  accounted  for  on  no 
other  motive." 


70  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"And  this  motive—?" 

"  Is  simply  caprice." 

"  I  wish  I  could  persuade  you  to  ascribe  some  better  reason 
to  all  my  conduct.  Can  you  think  of  nothing,  in  the  present 
instance,  less  discreditable  ?" 

"  Perhaps  I  can,"  Eve  answered,  after  a  moment  of  thought ; 
then  laughing  lightly  again,  she  added,  quickly,  "But  I  fear, 
in  exonerating  you  from  the  charge  of  unmitigated  caprice, 
I  shall  ascribe  a  reason  that  does  little  less  credit  to  your 
knowledge." 

"  This  will  appear  in  the  end.  Does  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
remember  me,  do  you  fancy  ?" 

"  It  is  impossible ;  she  was  ill,  you  will  remember,  the  three 
months  we  saw  so  much  of  you." 

"  And  your  father,  Miss  Effingham ;  am  I  really  forgotten  by 
him?" 

"  I  am  quite  certain  you  are  not.  He  never  forgets  a  face, 
whatever  in  this  instance  may  have  befallen  the  name." 

"  He  received  me  so  coldly,  and  so  much  like  a  total  stran- 
ger !" 

"  He  is  too  well-bred  to  recognize  a  man  who  wishes  to  be 
unknown,  or  to  indulge  in  exclamations  of  surprise,  or  in  dra 
matic  starts.  He  is  more  stable  than  a  girl,  moreover,  and 
may  feel  less  indulgence  to  caprice." 

"  I  feel  obliged  to  his  reserve ;  for  exposure  would  be  ridicu 
lous,  and  so  long  as  you  and  he  alone  know  me,  I  shall  feel 
less  awkward  in  the  ship.  I  am  certain  neither  will  betray  me." 

"Betray!" 

"  Betray,  discover,  annihilate  me  if  you  will.  Any  thing  is 
preferable  to  ridicule." 

"  This  touches  a  little  on  the  caprice  ;  but  you  natter  your 
self  with  too  much  security ;  you  are  known  to  one  more  be 
sides  my  father,  myself,  and  the  honest  man  whom  you  have 
robbed  of  all  his  astuteness,  which  I  believe  was  in  his  name." 

*•  For  pity's  sake,  who  can  it  be  ?" 


HO  ME  WARD      BOUND.  i  i 

"  The  worthy  Nanny  Sidley,  my  whilom  nurse,  and  actual 
femme  de  chambre.  No  ogre  was  ever  more  vigilant  on  his 
ward  than  the  faithful  Nanny,  and  it  is  vain  to  suppose  she  does 
not  recall  your  features." 

"  But  ogres  sometimes  sleep ;  recollect  how  many  have  been 
overcome  in  that  situation." 

Eve  smiled,  but  shook  her  head.  She  was  about  to  assure 
Mr.  Sharp  of  the  vanity  of  his  belief,  when  an  exclamation  from 
her  governess  diverted  the  attention  of  both,  and  before  either 
had  time  to  speak  again,  Mademoiselle  turned  to  them,  and 
said  rapidly  in  French — 

"  I  assure  you,  ma  chtre,  I  should  have  mistaken  monsieur 
for  a  compatriote,  by  his  language,  were  it  not  for  a  single 
heinous  fault  that  he  has  just  committed." 

"  Which  fault  you  will  suffer  me  to  inquire  into,  that  I  may 
hasten  to  correct  iU"  asked  Mr.  Blunt. 

"  Mais,  monsieur,  you  speak  too  perfectly,  too  grammatically, 
for  a  native.  You  do  not  take  the  liberties  with  the  language 
that  one  who  feels  he  owns  it  thinks  he  has  a  right  to  do.  It 
is  the  fault  of  too  much  correctness." 

"And  a  fault  it  easily  becomes.  I  thank  you  for  the  hint, 
mademoiselle ;  but  as  I  am  now  going  where  little  French  will 
be  heard,  it  is  probable  it  will  soon  be  lost  in  greater  mistakes." 

The  two  then  turned  away  again,  and  continued  the  dialogue 
that  had  been  interrupted  by  this  trifling. 

"  There  may  also  be  one  more  to  whom  you  are  known," 
continued  Eve,  as  soon  as  the  vivacity  of  the  discourse  of  the 
others  satisfied  her  the  remark  would  not  be  heard. 

"  Surely,  you  cannot  mean  him  £" 

"  Surely,  I  do  mean  him.  Are  you  quite  certain  that  *  Mr. 
Sharp,  Mr.  Blunt ;  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Sharp,'  never  saw  each  other 
before?" 

"  I  think  not  until  the  moment  we  entered  the  boat  in  com 
pany.  He  is  a  gentlemanly  young  man ;  he  seems  even  to  be 
more,  and  one  would  not  be  apt  to  forget  him.  He  is  alto- 


72  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

getlicr  superior  to  the  rest  of  the  set :  do  you  not  agree  with 
me  ?" 

Eve  made  no  answer,  probably  because  she  thought  her  com 
panion  was  not  sufficiently  intimate  to  interrogate  her  on  the 
subject  of  her  opinions  of  others.  Mr.  Sharp  had  too  much 
knowledge  of  the  world  not  to  perceive  the  little  mistake  he 
had  made,  and  after  begging  the  young  lady,  with  a  ludicrous 
deprecation  of  her  mercy,  not  to  betray  him,  he  changed  the 
conversation  with  the  tact  of  a  man  who  saw  that  the  discourse 
could  not  be  continued  without  assuming  a  confidential  char 
acter  that  Eve  was  indisposed  to  permit.  Luckily,  a  pause  in 
the  discourse  between  the  governess  and  her  colloquist  per 
mitted  a  happy  turn  to  the  conversation. 

"  I  believe  you  are  an  American,  Mr.  Blunt,"  he  remarked ; 
"  and  as  I  am  an  Englishman,  we  may  be  fairly  pitted  against 
each  other  on  this  important  question  of  international  law,  and 
about  which  I  hear  our  worthy  captain  flourishing  extracts  from 
Vattel  as  familiarly  as  household  terms.  I  hope,  at  least,  you 
agree  with  me  in  thinking  that  when  the  sloop-of-war  comes 
up  with  us,  it  will  be  very  silly  on  our  part  to  make  any  objec 
tions  to  being  boarded  by  her  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  at  all  necessary  I  should  be  an 
American  to  give  an  opinion  on  such  a  point,"  returned  the 
young  man  he  addressed,  courteously,  though  he  smiled  to 
himself  as  he  answered — "For  what  is  right,  is  right,  quite 
independent  of  nationality.  It  really  does  appear  to  me  that  a 
public-armed  vessel  ought,  in  war  or  peace,  to  have  a  right  to 
ascertain  the  character  of  all  merchant  ships,  at  least  on  the 
coast  of  the  country  to  which  the  cruisers  belong.  Without 
this  power,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  in  what  manner  they  can  seize 
smugglers,  capture  pirates,  or  otherwise  enforce  the  objects  for 
which  such  vessels  are  usually  sent  to  sea,  in  the  absence  of 
positive  hostilities." 

"  I  am  happy  to  find  you  agreeing  with  me,  then,  in  the  le 
gality  of  the  doctrine  of  the  right  of  search." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  73 

Paul  Blunt  again  smiled,  and  Eve,  as  she  caught  a  glimpse 
of  his  fine  countenance  in  turning  in  their  short  walk,  fancied 
there  was  a  concealed  pride  of  reason  in  the  expression.  Still 
he  answered  as  mildly  and  quietly  as  before — 

"The  right  of  search,  certainly,  to  attain  these  ends,  but  to 
attain  no  more.  If  nations  denounce  piracy,  for  instance,  and 
employ  especial  agents  to  detect  and  overcome  the  freebooters, 
there  is  reason  in  according  to  these  agents  all  the  rights  that 
are  requisite  to  the  discharge  of  the  duties ;  but,  in  conceding 
this  much,  I  do  not  see  that  any  authority  is  acquired  beyond 
that  which  immediately  belongs  to  the  particular  service  to  be 
performed.  If  we  give  a  man  permission  to  enter  our  house  to 
look  for  thieves,  it  does  not  follow  that,  because  so  admitted, 
he  has  a  right  to  exercise  any  other  function.  I  do  believe 
that  the  ship  in  chase  of  us,  as  a  public  cruiser,  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  board  this  vessel ;  but  finding  nothing  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  nations  about  her,  that  she  will  have  no  power  to 
detain  or  otherwise  molest  her.  Even  the  right  I  concede 
ought  to  be  exercised  in  good  faith,  and  without  vexatious 
abuses." 

"  But,  surely,  you  must  think  that  in  carrying  off  a  refugee 
from  justice  we  have  placed  ourselves  in  the  wrong,  and  cannot 
object,  as  a  principle,  to  the  poor  man's  being  taken  back  again 
into  the  country  from  which  he  has  escaped,  however  much  we 
may  pity  the  hardships  of  the  particular  case  ?" 

"  I  much  question  if  Captain  Truck  will  be  disposed  to  rea 
son  so  vaguely.  In  the  first  place,  he  will  be  apt  to  say  that 
his  ship  was  regularly  cleared,  and  that  he  had  authority  to 
sail ;  that  in  permitting  the  officer  to  search  his  vessel,  while  in 
British  waters,  he  did  all  that  could  be  required  of  him,  the 
law  not  compelling  him  to  be  either  a  bailiff  or  an  informer ; 
that  the  process  issued  was  to  take  Davis,  and  not  to  detain  the 
Montauk ;  that  once  out  of  British  waters,  American  law  gov 
erns,  and  the  English  functionary  became  an  intruder,  of  whom 
he  had  every  right  to  rid  himself;  and  that  the  process  by 


74  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

which  he  got  his  power  to  act  at  all  became  impotent  the  in 
stant  it  was  without  the  jurisdiction  under  which  it  was  granted." 

"  I  think  you  will  find  the  captain  of  yonder  cruiser  indis 
posed  to  admit  this  doctrine." 

"  That  is  not  impossible ;  men  often  preferring  abuses  to  being 
thwarted  in  their  wishes.  But  the  captain  of  yonder  cruiser 
might  as  well  go  on  board  a  foreign  vessel  of  war,  and  pretend 
to  a  right  to  command  her,  in  virtue  of  the  commission  by 
which  he  commands  his  own  ship,  as  to  pretend  to  find  reason 
or  law  in  doing  what  you  seem  to  predict." 

"I  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  poor  man  cannot  now  be  torn 
from  his  wife,"  exclaimed  Eve. 

"  You  then  incline  to  the  doctrine  of  Mr.  Blunt,  Miss  Effing- 
ham?"  observed  the  other  controversialist  a  little  reproach 
fully.  "  I  fear  you  make  it  a  national  question." 

"  Perhaps  I  have  done  what  all  seem  to  have  done,  permitted 
sympathy  to  get  the  better  of  reason.  And  yet  it  would  re 
quire  strong  proof  to  persuade  me  that  villanous-looking  attor 
ney  was  engaged  in  a  good  cause,  and  that  meek  and  warm 
hearted  wife  in  a  bad  one !" 

Both  the  gentlemen  smiled,  and  both  turned  to  the  fair 
speaker,  as  if  inviting  her  to  proceed.  But  Eve  checked  herself, 
having  already  said  more  than  became  her,  in  her  own  opinion. 

"  I  had  hoped  to  find  an  ally  in  you,  Mr.  Blunt,  to  sustain 
the  claim  of  England  to  seize  her  own  seamen  when  found  on 
board  of  vessels  of  another  nation,"  resumed  Mr.  Sharp,  when  a 
respectful  pause  had  shown  both  the  young  men  that  they  need 
expect  nothing  more  from  their  fair  companion  ;  "  but  I  fear  I 
must  set  you  down  as  belonging  to  those  who  wish  to  see  the 
power  of  England  reduced,  cotite  qui  coble" 

This  was  received  as  it  was  meant,  or  as  a  real  opinion  veiled 
under  pleasantry. 

u  I  certainly  do  not  wish  to  see  her  power  maintained,  coute 
qui  coitle"  returned  the  other,  laughing  ;  " and  in  this  opinion, 
I  believe,  I  may  claim  both  these  ladies  as  allies." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  75 

"  Certainement  /"  exclaimed  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  who  was 
a  living  proof  that  the  feelings  created  by  centuries  of  animos 
ity  are  not  to  be  subdued  by  a  few  flourishes  of  the  pen. 

"  As  for  me,  Mr.  Sharp,"  added  Eve,  "  you  may  suppose,  be 
ing  an  American  girl,  I  cannot  subscribe  to  the  right  of  any 
country  to  do  us  injustice ;  but  I  beg  you  will  not  include  me 
among  those  who  wish  to  see  the  land  of  my  ancestors  wronged 
in  aught  that  she  may  rightfully  claim  as  her  due." 

"  This  is  powerful  support,  and  I  shall  rally  to  the  rescue. 
Seriously,  then,  will  you  allow  me  to  inquire,  sir,  if  you  think 
the  right  of  England  to  the  services  of  her  seamen  can  be  de 
nied  r 

"  Seriously  then,  Mr.  Sharp,  you  must  permit  me  to  ask  if  you 
mean  by  force,  or  by  reason  ?" 

"  By  the  latter,  certainly." 

"  I  think  you  have  taken  the  weak  side  of  the  English  argu 
ment  ;  the  nature  of  the  service  that  the  subject,  or  the  citizen, 
as  it  is  now  the  fashion  to  say  at  Paris,  mademoiselle — 

"  Tant pis"  muttered  the  governess. 

"  Owes  his  government,"  continued  the  young  man,  slightly 
glancing  at  Eve,  at  the  interruption — "is  purely  a  point  of  in 
ternal  regulation.  In  England  there  is  compulsory  service  for 
seamen  without  restriction,  or  what  is  much  the  same,  without 
an  equal  protection ;  in  France,  it  is  compulsory  service  on  a 
general  plan ;  in  America,  as  respects  seamen,  the  service  is 
still  voluntary." 

"  Your  pardon ; — will  the  institutions  of  America  permit  im 
pressment  at  all  ?" 

"I  should  think,  not  indiscriminate  impressment;  though  I 
do  not  see  why  laws  might  not  be  enacted  to  compel  drafts  for 
the  ships  of  war,  as  well  as  for  the  army  :  but  this  is  a  point 
that  some  of  the  professional  gentlemen  on  board,  if  there  be 
any  such,  might  better  answer  than  myself." 

"The  skill  with  which  you  have  touched  on  these  subjects 
to-night,  had  made  me  hope  to  have  found  such  a  one  in  you ; 


76  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

for  to  a  traveller,  it  is  always  desirable  to  enter  a  country  with  a 
little  preparation,  and  a  ship  might  offer  as  much  temptation 
to  teach  as  to  learn." 

*'  If  you  suppose  me  an  American  lawyer,  you  give  me  credit 
for  more  than  I  can  lay  claim  to." 

As  he  hesitated,  Eve  wondered  whether  the  slight  emphasis 
he  had  laid  on  the  two  words  Ave  have  italicised,  was  heaviest 
on  that  which  denoted  the  country,  or  on  that  which  denoted 
the  profession. 

"  I  have  been  much  in  America,  and  have  paid  a  little  atten 
tion  to  the  institutions,  but  should  be  sorry  to  mislead  you  into 
the  belief  that  I  am  at  all  infallible  on  such  points,"  Mr.  Blunt 
continued. 

"  You  were  about  to  touch  on  impressment." 

"  Simply  to  say  that  it  is  a  municipal  national  power ;  one  in 
no  degree  dependent  on  general  principles,  and  that  it  can 
properly  be  exercised  in  no  situation  in  which  the  exercise  of 
municipal  or  national  powers  is  forbidden.  I  can  believe  that 
this  power  may  be  exercised  on  board  American  ships  in  Brit 
ish  waters — or  at  least  that  it  is  a  more  plausible  right  in  such 
situations;  but  I  cannot  think  it  can  be  rightfully  exercised 
anywhere  else.  I  do  not  think  England  would  submit  to  such 
a  practice  an  hour,  reversing  the  case,  and  admitting  her  pres 
ent  strength ;  and  an  appeal  of  this  sort  is  a  pretty  good  test  of 
principle." 

"  Ay,  ay,  what  is  sauce  for  the  goose  is  sauce  for  the  gander, 
as  Vattel  says,"  interrupted  Captain  Truck,  who  had  overheard 
the  last  speech  or  two :  "  not  that  he  says  this  in  so  many 
words,  but  then,  he  has  the  sentiment  at  large  scattered  through 
out  his  writings.  For  that  matter,  there  is  little  that  can  be 
said  on  a  subject  that  he  does  not  put  before  his  readers  as 
plainly  as  Beachy  Head  lies  before  the  navigator  of  the  British 
Channel.  With  Bowditch  and  Vattel,  a  man  might  sail  round 
the  globe,  and  little  fear  of  a  bad  landfall,  or  a  mistake  in  prin 
ciples.  My  present  object  is  to  tell  you,  ladies,  that  the  steward 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  77 

has  reported  the  supper  in  waiting  for  the  honor  of  your  pres 
ence." 

Before  quitting  the  deck,  the  party  inquired  into  the  state  of 
the  chase,  and  the  probable  intentions  of  the  sloop-of-war. 

u  We  are  now  on  the  great  highway  of  nations,"  returned 
Mr.  Truck,  "  and  it  is  my  intention  to  travel  it  without  jostling, 
or  being  jostled.  As  for  the  sloop,  she  is  standing  out  under  a 
press  of  canvas,  and  we  are  standing  from  her  in  nearly  a 
straight  line,  in  like  circumstances.  She  is  some  eight  or  ten 
miles  astern  of  us;  and  there  is  an  old  saying  among  seamen 
that  '  a  stern  chase  is  a  long  chase.'  I  do  not  think  our  case  is 
about  to  make  an  exception  to  the  rule.  I  shall  not  pretend  to 
say  what  will  be  the  upshot  of  the  matter ;  but  there  is  not  the 
ship  in  the  British  navy  that  can  gain  ten  miles  on  the  Mon- 
tauk,  in  her  present  trim,  and  with  this  breeze,  in  as  many  hours ; 
so  we  are  quit  of  her  for  the  present." 

The  last  words  were  uttered  just  as  Eve  put  her  foot  on  the 
step  to  descend  into  the  cabin. 


78  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

"  Trin.    Stephano,— 
Steph.   Doth  thy  other  mouth  call  me  ?    Mercy !  Mercy  I" 

TEMPEST. 

THE  life  of  a  packet  steward  is  one  of  incessant  mixing  and 
washing,  of  interrogations  and  compoundings,  all  in  a  space  of 
about  twelve  feet  square.  These  functionaries,  usually  clever 
mulattoes  who  have  caught  the  civilization  of  the  kitchen,  are 
busy  from  morning  till  night  in  their  cabins,  preparing  dishes, 
issuing  orders,  regulating  courses,  starting  corks,  and  answer 
ing  questions.  Apathy  is  the  great  requisite  for  the  station ; 
for  woe  betide  the  wretch  who  fancies  any  modicum  of  zeal,  or 
good-nature,  can  alone  fit  him  for  the  occupation.  From  the 
moment  the  ship  sails  until  that  in  which  a  range  of  the  cable 
is  overhauled,  or  the  chain  is  rowsed  up  in  readiness  to  anchor, 
no  smile  illumines  his  face,  no  tone  issues  from  his  voice  while 
on  duty,  but  that  of  dogged  routine — of  submission  to  those 
above,  or  of  snarling  authority  to  those  beneath  him.  As  the 
hour  for  the  "  drink  gelt,"  or  "  buona  mana,"  approaches,  how 
ever,  he  becomes  gracious  and  smiling.  On  his  first  appear 
ance  in  the  pantry  of  a  morning,  he  has  a  regular  series  of 
questions  to  answer,  and  for  which,  like  the  dutiful  Zeluco,  who 
wrote  all  his  letters  to  his  mother  on  the  same  day,  varying  the 
dates  to  suit  the  progress  of  time,  he  not  unfrequently  has  a 
regular  set  of  answers  cut  and  dried,  in  his  gastronomical  mind. 
"  How's  the  wind  ?"  "  How's  the  weather  ?"  "  How's  her 
head  ?"  all  addressed  to  this  standing  almanac,  are  mere  mat 
ters  of  course,  for  which  he  is  quite  prepared,  though  it  is  by 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  79 

no  means  unusual  to  hear  him  ordering  a  subordinate  to  go  on 
deck,  after  the  answer  is  given,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  facts. 
It  is  only  when  the  voice  of  the  captain  is  heard  from  his  state 
room,  that  he  conceives  himself  bound  to  be  very  particular, 
though  such  is  the  tact  of  all  connected  with  ships,  that  they  in 
stinctively  detect  the  "know  nothings,"  who  are  uniformly  treat 
ed  with  an  indifference  suited  to  their  culpable  ignorance.  Even 
the  "  old  salt"  on  the  forecastle  has  an  instinct  for  a  brother 
tar,  though  a  passenger,  and  a  due  respect  is  paid  to  Neptune 
in  answering  his  inquiries,  while  half  the  time  the  maiden  trav 
eller  meets  with  a  grave  equivoque,  a  marvel,  or  a  downright 
mystification. 

On  the  first  morning  out,  the  steward  of  the  Montauk  com 
menced  the  dispensation  of  his  news ;  for  no  sooner  was  he 
heard  rattling  the  glasses,  and  shuffling  plates  in  the  pantry, 
than  the  attack  was  begun  by  Mr.  Dodge,  in  "  whom  a  lauda 
ble  thirst  after  knowledge,"  as  exemplified  in  putting  questions, 
was  rather  a  besetting  principle.  This  gentleman  had  come 
out  in  the  ship,  as  has  been  mentioned,  and  unfortunately  for 
the  interest  of  his  propensity,  not  only  the  steward,  but  all  on 
board,  had,  as  it  is  expressed  in  slang  language,  early  taken  the 
measure  of  his  foot.  The  result  of  his  present  application  was 
the  following  brief  dialogue. 

"  Steward,"  called  out  Mr.  Dodge,  through  the  blinds  of  his 
stateroom,  "  whereabouts  are  we  ?" 

"  In  the  British  Channel,  sir." 

"  I  might  have  guessed  that  myself." 

"  So  I  s'pose,  sir  ;  nobody  is  better  at  guessing  and  diwining 
than  Mr.  Dodge." 

"  But  in  what  part  of  the  Channel  are  we,  Saunders  ?" 

"  About  the  middle,  sir." 

"  How  far  have  we  come  to-night  ?" 

"  From  Portsmouth  Roads  to  this  place,  sir." 

Mr.  Dodge  was  satisfied,  and  the  steward,  who  would  not 
have  dared  to  be  so  explicit  with  any  other  cabin  passenger, 


80  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

continued  coolly  to  mix  an  omelette.  The  next  attack  \vaa 
made  from  the  same  room,  by  Sir  George  Templemore. 

"  Steward,  my  good  fellow,  do  you  happen  to  know  wherea 
bouts  we  are  ?" 

"  Certainly,  sir  ;  the  land  is  still  werry  obwious." 

"  Are  we  getting  on  cleverly  ?" 

"  Nicely,  sir ;"  with  a  mincing  emphasis  on  the  first  word, 
that  betrayed  there  was  a  litle  waggery  about  the  grave-look 
ing  mulatto. 

"  And  the  sloop-of-war,  steward  ?" 

"  Nicely  too,  sir." 

There  was  a  shuffling  in  the  stateroom,  followed  by  a  silence. 
The  door  of  Mr.  Sharp's  room  was  now  opened  an  inch  or  two, 
and  the  following  questions  issued  through  the  crevice : 

"  Is  the  wind  favorable,  steward  ?" 

"  Just  her  character,  sir  ?" 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  wind  is  favorable  ?" 

"  For  the  Montauk,  sir  ;  she's  a  persuader  in  this  breeze." 

"  But  is  she  going  in  the  direction  we  wish  ?" 

"  If  the  gentleman  wishes  to  perambulate  America,  it  is 
probable  he  will  get  there  with  a  little  patience." 

Mr.  Sharp  pulled-to  his  door,  and  ten  minutes  passed  without 
further  questions ;  the  steward  beginning  to  hope  the  morning 
catechism  was  over,  though  he  grumbled  a  wish  that  gentle 
men  would  "  turn  out"  and  take  a  look  for  themselves.  Now, 
up  to  this  moment,  Saunders  knew  no  more,  than  those  who 
had  just  been  questioning  him  of  the  particular  situation  of  the 
ship,  in  which  he  floated  as  indifferent  to  the  whereabouts  and 
the  winds,  as  men  sail  in  the  earth  along  its  orbit,  without  be 
thinking  them  of  parallaxes,  nodes,  ecliptics,  and  solstices. 
Aware  that  it  was  about  time  for  the  captain  to  be  heard,  he 
sent  a  subordinate  on  deck,  with  a  view  to  be  ready  to  meet 
the  usual  questions  from  his  commander.  A  couple  of  minutes 
were  sufficient  to  put  him  au  courant  of  the  real  state  of  things. 
The  next  door  that  opened  was  that  of  Paul  Blunt,  however, 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  81 

who  thrust  his  head  into  the  cabin,  with  all  his  dark  curls  in 
the  confusion  of  a  night  scene. 

"  Steward !" 

"Sir." 

"  How's  the  wind  ?" 

"  Quite  exhilarating,  sir." 

"  From  what  quarter  ?" 

"  About  south,  sir." 

"  Is  there  much  of  it  ?" 

"  A  prewailing  breeze,  sir." 

"And  the  sloop?" 

"  She's  to  leeward,  sir,  operating  along  as  fast  as  she  can." 

"  Steward !" 

"  Sir,"  stepping  hurriedly  out  of  his  pantry,  in  order  to  hear 
more  distinctly. 

"  Under  what  sail  are  we  ?" 

"  Topgallant-sails,  sir." 

"  How's  her  head  ?" 

"  West-southwest,  sir." 

"  Delicious  !     Any  news  of  the  rover  ?" 

"  Hull  down  to  leeward,  sir,  and  on  our  quarter." 

"  Staggering  along,  eh  ?" 

"  Quite  like  a  disguised  person,  sir." 

"  Better  still.  Hurry  along  that  breakfast  of  yours,  sir ;  I 
am  as  hungry  as  a  Troglodyte." 

The  honest  captain  had  caught  this  word  from  a  recent  trea 
tise  against  agrarianism,  and  having  an  acquired  taste  for  orders 
in  one  sense,  at  least,  he  nattered  himself  with  being  what  is 
called  a  Conservative  ;  in  other  words,  he  had  a  strong  relish  for 
that  maxim  of  the  Scotch  freebooter,  which  is  rendered  into 
English  by  the  comely  aphorism  of  "keep  what  you've  got, 
and  get  what  you  can." 

A  cessation  of  the  interrogatories  took  place,  and  soon  after 
the  passengers  began  to  appear  in  the  cabin,  one  by  one.  As 
the  first  step  is  almost  invariably  to  go  on  deck,  especially  in 

4* 


82  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

good  weather,  in  a  few  minutes  nearly  all  of  the  last  night's 
party  were  again  assembled  in  the  open  air,  a  balm  that  none 
can  appreciate  but  those  who  have  experienced  the  pent  atmos 
phere  of  a  crowded  vessel.  The  steward  had  rendered  a  faith 
ful  account  of  the  state  of  the  weather  to  the  captain,  who  was 
now  seen  standing  in  the  main-rigging,  looking  at  the  clouds  to 
windward,  and  at  the  sloop-of-war  to  leeward,  in  the  knowing 
manner  of  one  who  was  making  comparisons  materially  to 
the  disadvantage  of  the  latter. 

The  day  was  fine,  and  the  Montauk,  bearing  her  canvas  nobly, 
was,  to  use  the  steward's  language,  also  staggering  along,  under 
every  thing  that  would  draw,  from  her  topgallant-sails  down, 
with  the  wind  near  two  points  forward  of  the  beam,  or  on  an 
easy  bowline.  As  there  was  but  little  sea,  her  rate  was  quite 
nine  knots,  though  varying  with  the  force  of  the  wind.  The 
cruiser  had  certainly  followed  them  thus  far,  though  doubts 
began  to  be  entertained  whether  she  was  in  chase,  or  merely 
bound  like  themselves  to  the  westward ;  a  course  common  to 
all  vessels  that  wish  to  clear  the  Channel,  even  when  it  is  in 
tended  to  go  south,  as  the  rocks  and  tides  of  the  French  coast 
are  inconvenient  neighbors  in  long  nights. 

"  Who  knows,  after  all,  that  the  cutter  which  tried  to  board 
us,"  asked -the  captain  aloud,  "belongs  to  the  ship  to  leeward?" 

"  I  know  the  boat,  sir,"  answered  the  second  mate ;  "  and  the 
ship  is  the  Foam." 

"  Let  her  foam  away,  then,  if  she  wishes  to  speak  us.  Has 
any  one  tried  her  bearings  since  daylight  ?" 

"  We  set  her  by  the  compass  at  six  o'clock,  sir,  and  she  has 
not  varied  her  bearing,  as  far  as  from  one  belaying  pin  to  an 
other,  in  three  hours ;  but  her  hull  rises  fast :  you  can  now 
make  out  her  ports,  and  at  daylight  the  bottom  of  her  courses 
dipped." 

"  Ay,  ay,  she  is  a  light-going  Foam,  then  ?  If  that  is  the 
case,  she  will  be  alongside  of  us  by  night." 

"  In  which  event,  captain,  you  will  be  obliged  to  give  him  a 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  X  D  .  83 

broadside  of  Vattel,"  threw  in  John  Effingham,  in  his  cool 
manner. 

"  If  that  will  answer  his  errand,  he  is  welcome  to  as  much  as 
he  can  cany.  I  begin  to  doubt,  gentlemen,  whether  this  fellow 
be  not  in  earnest :  in  which  case  you  may  have  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  how  ships  are  handled,  when  seamen  have  their 
management.  I  have  no  objection  to  setting  the  experience  of 
a  poor  come-and-go  sort  of  a  fellow,  like  myself,  in  opposition 
to  the  geometry  and  Hamilton  Moore  of  a  young  man-of-war's 
man.  I  dare  say,  now,  yonder  chap  is  a  lord,  or  a  lord's  pro 
geny,  while  poor  Jack  Truck  is  just  as  you  see  him." 

"  Do  you  not  think  half-an-hour  of  compliance  on  our  part 
might  bring  the  matter  to  an  amicable  conclusion  at  once  ?" 
said  Paul  Blunt.  "  Were  we  to  run  down  to  him,  the  object 
of  his  pursuit  could  be  determined  in  a  few  minutes." 

"What!  and  abandon  poor  Davis  to  the  rapacity  of  that 
rascally  attorney  ?"  generously  exclaimed  Sir  George  Temple- 
more.  "  I  would  prefer  paying  the  port-charges  myself,  run 
into  the  handiest  French  port,  and  let  the  honest  fellow 
escape  !" 

"  There  is  no  probability  that  a  cruiser  would  attempt  to  take 
a  mere  debtor  from  a  foreign  vessel  on  the  open  sea." 

"  If  the.re  were  no  tobacco  in  the  world,  Mr.  Blunt,  I  might 
feel  disposed  to  waive  the  categories,  and  show  the  gentleman 
that  courtesy,"  returned  the  captain,  who  was  preparing  another 
cigar.  "  But  while  the  cruiser  might  not  feel  authorized  to 
take  an  absconding  debtor  from  this  vessel,  he  might  feel  other 
wise  on  the  subject  of  tobacco,  provided  there  has  been  an  in 
formation  for  smuggling." 

Captain  Truck  then  explained,  that  the  subordinates  of  the 
packets  frequently  got  their  ships  into  trouble,  by  taking  ad 
ventures  of  the  forbidden  weed  clandestinely  into  European 
ports,  and  that  his  ship,  in  such  circumstances,  would  lose  her 
place  in  the  line,  and  derange  all  the  plans  of  the  company  to 
which  she  belonged.  He  did  the  English  g-ovornmont  the  jus- 


84  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

tice  to  say,  that  it  had  always  manifested  a  liberal  disposition 
not  to  punish  the  innocent  for  the  guilty ;  but  were  any  such 
complaints  actually  in  the  wind,  he  thought  he  could  settle  it 
with  much  less  loss  to  himself  on  his  return,  than  on  the  day 
of  sailing.  While  this  explanation  was  delivered,  a  group  had 
clustered  round  the  speaker,  leaving  Eve  and  her  party  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  deck. 

"  This  last  speech  of  Mr.  Blunt's  quite  unsettles  my  opinion 
of  his  national  character,  as  Vattel  and  our  worthy  captain 
would  say,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp.  "  Last  night,  I  set  him  down 
as  a  right  loyal  American ;  but  I  think  it  would  not  be  natural 
for  a  thorough-going  countryman  of  yours,  Miss  Effingham,  to 
propose  this  act  of  courtesy  to  a  cruiser  of  King  William." 

"  How  far  any  countrymen  of  mine,  thorough-going  or  not, 
have  reason  to  manifest  extreme  courtesy  to  any  of  your 
cruisers,"  Eve  laughingly  replied,  "  I  shall  leave  Captain  Truck 
to  say.  But,  with  you,  I  have  long  been  at  a  loss  to  determine 
whether  Mr.  Blunt  is  an  Englishman  or  an  American,  or  in 
deed,  whether  he  be  either." 

"  Long,  Miss  Effingham  !  He  then  has  the  honor  of  being 
well  known  to  you?" 

Eve  answered  steadily,  though  the  color  mounted  to  her 
brow ;  but  whether  from  the  impetuous  exclamation  of  her 
companion,  or  from  any  feeling  connected  with  the  subject  of 
their  conversation,  the  young  man  was  at  a  loss  to  discover. 

"Long,  as  girls  of  twenty  count  time — so.ne  four  or  five 
years ;  but  you  may  judge  how  well,  when  i  tell  you  I  am 
ignorant  of  his  country  even." 

"  And  may  I  venture  to  ask  which  do  you,  yourself,  give  him 
credit  for  being,  an  American  or  an  Englishman  ?" 

Eve's  bright  eyes  laughed,  as  she  answered,  "  You  have  put 
the  question  with  so  much  finesse,  and  with  a  politeness  so  well 
managed,  that  I  should  indeed  be  churlish  to  refuse  an  answer : 
— Nay,  do  not  interrupt  me,  and  spoil  all  the  good  you  have 
done  by  unnecessary  protestations  of  sincerity." 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  85 

"  All  I  wish  to  say  is,  to  ask  an  explanation  of  a  finesse,  of 
which  I  am  quite  as  innocent  as  of  any  wish  to  draw  down  upon 
myself  the  visitations  of  your  displeasure." 

"Do  you,  then,  really  conceive  it  a  credit  to  be  an  Ameri 
can  ?" 

"Nobody  of  less  modesty  than  yourself,  Miss  Effingham, 
under  all  the  circumstances,  would  dream  of  asking  the  ques 
tion." 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  civility,  which  must  be  taken  as  it  is 
offered,  I  presume,  quite  as  a  thing  en  regie  ;  but  to  leave  our 
fine  opinions  of  each  other,  as  well  as  our  prejudices,  out  of  the 
question — " 

"  You  will  excuse  me  if  I  object  to  this,  for  I  feel  my  good 
sense  implicated.  You  can  hardly  attribute  to  me  opinions  so 
utterly  unreasonable,  so  unworthy  of  a  gentleman — so  unfound 
ed,  in  short !  Am  I  not  incurring  all  the  risks  and  hardships 
of  a  long  sea-voyage,  expressly  to  visit  your  great  country,  and, 
I  trust,  to  improve  by  its  example  and  society  ?" 

"  Since  you  appear  to  wish  it,  Mr.  Sharp — "  Eve  glanced  her 
playful  eye  up  at  him  as  she  pronounced  the  name — "  I  will  be 
as  credulous  as  a  believer  in  animal  magnetism ;  and  that,  I 
fancy,  is  pushing  credulity  to  the  verge  of  reason.  It  is  now 
settled  between  us,  that  you  do  conceive  it  an  honor  to  be  an 
American,  born,  educated,  and  by  extraction." 

"  All  of  which  being  the  case  with  Miss  Effingham." 

"All  but  the  second;  indeed,  they  write  me  fearful  things 
concerning  this  European  education  of  mine :  some  even  go  so 
far  as  to  assure  me  I  shall  be  quite  unfitted  to  live  in  the  socie 
ty  to  which  I  properly  belong !" 

"  Europe  will  be  rejoiced  to  receive  you  back  again,  in  that 
case ;  and  no  European  more  so  than  myself." 

The  beautiful  color  deepened  a  little  on  the  cheek  of  Eve,  but 
she  made  no  immediate  reply. 

"  To  return  to  our  subject,"  she  at  length  said :  "  Were  I 
required  to  say,  I  should  not  be  able  to  decide  on  the  country 


86  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  . 

of  Mr.  Blunt ;  nor  have  I  ever  met  with  any  one  who  appeared 
to  know.  I  saw  him  first  in  Germany,  where  he  circulated  in 
the  best  company;  though  no  one  seemed  acquainted  with  his 
history,  even  there.  He  made  a  good  figure ;  was  quite  at  his 
ease ;  speaks  several  languages  almost  as  well  as  the  natives  of 
the  different  countries  themselves ;  and,  altogether,  was  a  sub 
ject  of  curiosity  with  those  who  had  leisure  to  think  of  any 
thing  but  their  own  dissipation  and  folly." 

Mr.  Sharp  listened  with  obvious  gravity  to  the  fair  speaker, 
and  had  not  her  own  eyes  been  fastened  on  the  deck,  she  might 
have  detected  the  lively  interest  betrayed  in  his.  Perhaps  the 
feeling  which  was  at  the  bottom  of  all  this,  to  a  slight  degree, 
influenced  his  answer. 

"  Quite  an  Admirable  Crichton  !" 

"  I  do  not  say  that,  though  certainly  expert  in  tongues.  My 
own  rambling  life  has  made  me  acquainted  with  a  few  lan 
guages,  and  I  do  assure  you,  this  gentleman  speaks  three  or 
four  with  almost  equal  readiness,  and  with  no  perceptible 
accent.  I  remember,  at  Vienna,  many  even  believed  him  to  be 
a  German." 

"  What !  with  the  name  of  Blunt  ?" 

Eve  smiled,  and  her  companion,  who  silently  watched  even- 
expression  of  her  varying  countenance,  as  if  to  read  her  thoughts, 
noted  it. 

"  Names  signify  little  in  these  migratory  times,"  returned  the 
young  lady.  "  You  have  but  to  imagine  a  von  before  it,  and 
it  would  pass  at  Dresden,  or  at  Berlin.  Von  Blunt,  der  Edel- 
geborne  Graf  Von  Blunt,  Hofrath — or  if  you  like  it  better, 
G-eheimer  Rath  mit  Excellenz  und  eure  Gnaden" 

"  Or,  Baw-Berg-Veg-Inspector-Substitut  /"  added  Mr.  Sharp, 
laughing.  "  No,  no  !  this  will  hardly  pass.  Blunt  is  a  good 
old  English  name  ;  but  it  has  not  finesse  enough  for  Italian, 
German,  Spanish,  or  any  thing  else  but  John  Bull  and  his 
family." 

"  I  see    no  necessity,   for  my  part,   for  all    this   Bluntish- 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  87 

ness ;  the  gentleman  may  think  frankness  a  good  travelling 
quality." 

"  Surely,  he  has  not  concealed  his  real  name  !" 

"  Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Blunt ;  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Sharp,"  rejoined 
Eve,  laughing  until  her  bright  eyes  danced  with  pleasure. 
"  There  would  be  something  ridiculous,  indeed,  in  seeing  so 
much  of  the  finesse  of  a  master  of  ceremonies  subjected  to  so 
profound  a  mystification  !  I  have  been  told  that  passing  intro 
ductions  amount  to  little  among  you  men,  and  this  would  be  a 
case  in  point." 

"  I  would  I  dared  ask  if  it  be  really  so." 

"  Were  I  to  be  guilty  of  indiscretion  in  another's  case,  you 
would  not  fail  to  distrust  me  in  your  own.  I  am,  moreover,  a 
Protestant,  and  abjure  auricular  confessions." 

"  You  will  not  frown  if  I  inquire  whether  the  rest  of  your 
party  remember  him  ?" 

"  My  father,  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  and  the  excellent  Nanny 
Sidley,  again ;  but,  I  think,  none  other  of  the  servants,  as  he 
never  visited  us.  Mr.  John  Effingham  was  travelling  in  Egypt  at 
the  time,  and  did  not  see  him  at  all,  and  we  only  met  in  general 
society ;  Nanny's  acquaintance  was  merely  that  of  seeing  him 
check  his  horse  in  the  Prater,  to  speak  to  us  of  a  morning." 

"  Poor  fellow,  I  pity  him ;  he  has,  at  least,  never  had  the 
happiness  of  strolling  on  the  shores  of  Como  and  the  islands 
of  Laggo  Maggiore  in  your  company,  or  of  studying  the  wonders 
of  the  Pitti  and  the  Vatican." 

"  If  I  must  confess  all,  he  journeyed  with  us  on  foot  and  in 
boats  an  entire  month,  among  the  wonders  of  the  Oberland,  and 
across  the  Wallenstadt.  This  was  at  a  time  when  we  had  no 
one  with  us  but  the  regular  guides  and  the  German  courier, 
who  was  discharged  in  London." 

"  Were  it  not  for  the  impropriety  of  tampering  with  a  serv 
ant,  I  would  cross  the  deck  and  question  your  good  Nanny,  this 
moment !"  said  Mr.  Sharp  with  playful  menace.  "  Of  all  torture, 
that  of  suspense  is  the  hardest  to  be  borne." 


88  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  I  grant  you  full  permission,  and  acquit  you  of  all  sins, 
whether  of  disrespect,  meanness,  impertinence,  ungentlemanlike 
practices,  or  any  other  vice  that  may  be  thought  to  attend  and 
characterize  the  act." 

"  This  formidable  array  of  qualities  would  check  the  curiosity 
of  a  village  gossip  !" 

"  It  has  an  effect  I  did  not  intend,  then ;  I  wish  you  to  put 
your  threat  in  execution." 

"  Not  seriously,  surely  ?" 

"  Never  more  so.  Take  a  favorable  moment  to  speak  to  the 
good  soul,  as  an  old  acquaintance ;  she  remembers  you  well, 
and  by  a  little  of  that  interrogating  management  you  possess, 
a  favorable  opportunity  may  occur  to  bring  in  the  other  subject. 
In  the  mean  time,  I  will  glance  over  the  pages  of  this  book." 

As  Eve  began  to  read,  Mr.  Sharp  perceived  she  was  in  earnest ; 
and  hesitating  a  moment,  in  doubt  of  the  propriety  of  the  act, 
he  yielded  to  her  expressed  desire,  and  strolled  carelessly  to 
wards  the  faithful  old  domestic.  He  addressed  her  indifferently 
at  first,  until  believing  he  might  go  further,  he  smilingly  ob 
served  that  he  believed  he  had  seen  her  in  Italy.  To  this 
Nanny  quietly  assented ;  and  when  he  indirectly  added  that  it 
was  under  another  name,  she  smiled,  but  merely  intimated  her 
consciousness  of  the  fact,  by  a  quick  glance  of  the  eye. 

"  You  know  that  travellers  assume  names  for  the  sake  of  avoid 
ing  curiosity,"  he  added,  "  and  I  hope  you  will  not  betray  me." 

"  You  need  not  fear  me,  sir ;  I  meddle  with  little  besides  my 
own  duty,  and  so  long  as  Miss  Eve  appears  to  think  there  is 
no  harm  in  it,  I  will  venture  to  say  it  is  no  more  than  a  gentle 
man's  caprice." 

"  Why,  that  is  the  very  word  she  applied  to  it  herself !  You 
have  caught  the  term  from  Miss  Effingham." 

"  Well,  sir,  and  if  I  have,  it  is  caught  from  one  who  deals 
little  harm  to  any." 

"  I  believe  I  am  not  the  only  one  on  board  who  travels  under 
a  false  name,  if  the  truth  were  known  ?" 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  89 

Nanny  looked  first  at  the  deck,  then  at  her  interrogator's 
face,  next  towards  Mr.  Blunt,  withdrawing  her  eye  again,  as  if 
guilty  of  an  indiscretion,  and  finally  at  the  sails.  Perceiving 
her  embarrassment  respecting  her  discretion,  and  ashamed  of 
the  task  he  had  undertaken,  Mr.  Sharp  said  a  few  civil  things 
suited  to  the  condition  of  the  woman,  and  sauntering  about  the 
deck  for  a  short  time,  to  avoid  suspicion,  soon  found  himself 
once  more  alongside  of  Eve.  The  latter  inquired  with  her 
eyes,  a  little  exultingly,  perhaps,  concerning  his  success. 

"  I  have  failed,"  he  said ;  "  but  something  must  be  ascribed 
to  my  own  awkward  diffidence ;  for  there  is  so  much  meanness 
in  tampering  with  a  servant,  that  I  had  not  the  heart  to  push 
my  questions,  even  while  I  am  devoured  by  curiosity." 

"  Your  fastidiousness  is  not  a  disease  with  which  all  on  board 
are  afflicted,  for  there  is  at  least  one  grand  inquisitor  among 
us,  by  what  I  can  learn ;  so  take  heed  to  your  sins,  and  above 
all,  be  very  guarded  of  old  letters,  marks,  and  other  tell-tales, 
that  usually  expose  impostors." 

"  To  all  that,  I  believe,  sufficient  care  has  already  been  had, 
by  that  other  Dromio,  my  own  man." 

"  And  in  what  way  do  you  share  the  name  between  you  ? 
Is  it  Dromio  of  Syracuse,  and  Dromio  of  Ephesus  ?  or  does 
John  call  himself  Fitz-Edward,  or  Mortimer,  or  De  Courcy  ?" 

"  He  has  complaisance  enough  to  make  the  passage  with 
nothing  but  a  Christian  name,  I  believe.  In  truth,  it  was  by 
a  mere  accident  that  I  turned  usurper  in  this  way.  He  took 
the  stateroom  for  me,  and  being  required  to  give  a  name,  he 
gave  his  own,  as  usual.  When  I  went  to  the  docks  to  look  at 
the  ship,  I  was  saluted  as  Mr.  Sharp,  and  then  the  conceit  took 
me  of  trying  how  it  would  wear  for  a  month  or  six  weeks.  I 
would  give  the  world  to  know  if  the  Geheimer  Rath  got  his 
cognomen  in  the  same  honest  manner." 

"  I  think  not,  as  his  man  goes  by  the  pungent  title  of  Pepper. 
Unless  poor  John  should  have  occasion  for  two  names  during 
the  passage,  you  are  reasonably  safe.  And  still,  I  think,"  con- 


90  HO  ME  WARD     BOUND. 

tinned  Eve,  biting  her  lips,  like  one  who  deliberated,  "  if  it  were 
any  longer  polite  to  bet,  Mr.  John  Effingham  would  hazard  all 
the  French  gloves  in  his  trunks,  against  all  the  English  finery 
in  yours,  that  the  inquisitor  just  hinted  at  gets  at  your  secret 
before  we  arrive.  Perhaps  I  ought  rather  to  say,  ascertains 
that  you  are  not  Mr.  Sharp,  and  that  Mr.  Blunt  is." 

Her  companion  entreated  her  to  point  out  the  person  to 
whom  she  had  given  the  sobriquet  she  mentioned. 

"  Accuse  me  of  giving  nicknames  to  no  one.  The  man  has 
this  title  from  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  and  his  own  great  deeds. 
It  is  a  certain  Mr.  Steadfast  Dodge,  who,  it  seems,  knows  some 
thing  of  us,  from  the  circumstance  of  living  in  the  same  county, 
and  who,  from  knowing  a  little  in  this  comprehensive  manner, 
is  desirous  of  knowing  a  great  deal  more." 

"  The  natural  result  of  all  useful  knowledge." 

"Mr.  John  Effingham,  who  is  apt  to  fling  sarcasms  at  all 
lands,  his  native  country  included,  affirms  that  this  gentleman 
is  but  a  fair  specimen  of  many  more  it  will  be  our  fortune  to 
meet  in  America.  If  so,  we  shall  not  long  be  strangers ;  for, 
according  to  Mademoiselle  Viefville  and  my  good  Nanny,  he 
has  already  communicated  to  them  a  thousand  interesting  par 
ticulars  of  himself,  in  exchange  for  which  he  asks  no  more 
than  the  reasonable  compensation  of  having  all  his  questions 
concerning  us  truly  answered." 

"  This  is  certainly  alarming  intelligence,  and  I  shall  take 
heed  accordingly." 

"  If  he  discover  that  John  is  without  a  surname,  I  am  far 
from  certain  he  will  not  prepare  to  have  him  arraigned  for  some 
high  crime  or  misdemeanor ;  for  Mr.  John  Effingham  maintains 
that  the  besetting  propensity  of  all  this  class  is  to  divine  the 
worst,  the  moment  their  imaginations  cease  to  be  fed  with  facts. 
All  is  false  with  them,  and  it  is  flattery  or  accusation." 

The  approach  of  Mr.  Blunt  caused  a  cessation  of  the  dis 
course,  Eve  betraying  a  slight  degree  of  sensitiveness  about  ad 
mitting  him  to  share  in  these  little  asides,  a  circumstance  that 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


91 


her  companion  observed,  not  without  satisfaction.  The  dis 
course  now  became  general,  the  person  who  joined  them 
amusing  the  others  with  an  account  of  several  proposals  already 
made  by  Mr.  Dodge,  which,  as  he  expressed  it,  in  making  the 
relation,  manifested  the  strong  community-characteristics  of  an 
American.  The  first  proposition  was  to  take  a  vote  to  ascer 
tain  whether  Mr.  Van  Buren  or  Mr.  Harrison  was  the  greatest 
favorite  of  the  passengers ;  and,  on  this  being  defeated,  owing 
to  the  total  ignorance  of  so  many  on  board  of  both  the  parties 
he  had  named,  he  had  suggested  the  expediency  of  establishing 
a  society  to  ascertain,  daily,  the  precise  position  of  the  ship. 
Captain  Truck  had  thrown  cold  water  on  the  last  proposal, 
however,  by  adding  to  it  what,  among  legislators,  is  called  a 
"  rider ;"  he  having  drily  suggested  that  one  of  the  duties  of 
the  said  society  should  be  to  ascertain  also  the  practicability  of 
wading  across  the  Atlantic. 


92  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

"When  clouds  are  seen,  wise  men  put  on  their  cloaks; 
When  great  leaves  fall,  then  winter  is  at  hand ; 
When  the  sun  sets,  who  doth  not  look  for  night? 
Untimely  storms  make  men  expect  a  dearth  : 
All  may  be  well ;  but  if  God  sort  it  so, 
"Tis  more  than  we  deserve,  or  I  expect." 

KICHAED  III. 

THESE  conversations,  however,  were  mere  episodes  of  the 
great  business  of  the  passage.  Throughout  the  morning,  the 
master  was  busy  in  rating  his  mates,  giving  sharp  reprimands 
to  the  stewards  and  cooks,  overhauling  the  log-line,  introducing 
the  passengers,  seeing  to  the  stowage  of  the  anchors,  in  getting 
down  the  signal-pole,  throwing  in  touches  of  Vattel,  and  other 
wise  superintending  duty,  and  dispensing  opinions.  All  this 
time,  the  cat  in  the  grass  does  not  watch  the  bird  that  hops 
along  the  ground  with  keener  vigilance  than  he  kept  his  eye 
on  the  Foam.  To  an  ordinary  obs-erver,  the  two  ships  presented 
the  familiar  spectacle  of  vessels  sailing  in  the  same  direction, 
with  a  very  equal  rate  of  speed ;  and  as  the  course  was  that 
necessary  to  clear  the  Channel,  most  of  the  passengers,  and, 
indeed,  the  greater  part  of  the  crew,  began  to  think  the  cruiser, 
like  themselves,  was  merely  bound  to  the  westward.  Mr.  Truck, 
on  the  contrary,  judging  by  signs  and  movements  that  more 
naturally  suggested  themselves  to  one  accustomed  to  direct  the 
evolutions  of  a  ship,  and  to  reason  on  their  objects,  than  to  the 
mere  subjects  of  his  will,  thought  differently.  To  him,  the 
motive  of  the  smallest  change  on  board  the  sloop-of-war  was 
as  intelligible  as  if  it  had  been  explained  in  words,  and  he  even 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  93 

foresaw  many  that  were  about  to  take  place.  Before  noon,  the 
Foam  had  got  fairly  abeam,  and  Mr.  Leach,  pointing  out  the 
circumstance,  observed,  that  if  her  wish  was  to  overhaul  them, 
she  ought  then  to  tack ;  it  being  a  rule  among  seamen,  that 
the  pursuing  vessel  should  turn  to  windward  as  often  as  she 
found  herself  nearest  to  her  chase.  But  the  experience  of  Cap 
tain  Truck  taught  him  better ;  the  tide  was  setting  into  the 
Channel  on  the  flood,  and  the  wind  enabled  both  ships  to  take 
the  current  on  their  lee-bows,  a  power  that  forced  them  up  to 
windward ;  whereas,  by  tacking,  the  Foam  would  receive  the 
force  of  the  stream  on  her  weather  broadside,  or  so  nearly  so, 
as  to  sweep  her  farther  astern  than  her  difference  in  speed 
could  easily  repair. 

"  She  has  the  heels  of  us,  and  she  weathers  on  us,  as  it  is," 
grumbled  the  master;  uand  that  might  satisfy  a  man  less 
modest.  I  have  led  the  gentleman  such  a  tramp  already,  that 
he  will  be  in  none  of  the  best  humors  when  he  comes  along 
side,  and  we  may  make  up  our  minds  on  seeing  Portsmouth 
again  before  we  see  New  York,  unless  a  slant  of  wind,  or  the 
night,  serve  us  a,  good  turn.  I  trust,  Leach,  you  have  not  been 
destroying  your  prospects  in  life  by  looking  too  wistfully  at  a 
tobacco-field  ?" 

"  Not  I,  sir ;  and  if  you  will  give  me  leave  to  say  it,  Captain 
Truck,  I  do  not  think  a  plug  has  been  landed  from  the  ship, 
which  did  not  go  ashore  in  a  bona  fide  tobacco-box,  that  might 
appear  in  any  court  in  England.  The  people  will  swear,  to  a 
man,  that  this  is  true." 

"  Ay,  ay !  and  the  Barons  of  the  Exchequer  would  be  the 
greatest  fools  in  England  not  to  believe  them.  If  there  has 
been  no  defrauding  the  revenue,  why  does  a  cruiser  follow  this 
ship,  a  regular  packet,  to  sea  ?" 

"  This  affair  of  the  steerage  passenger,  Davis,  sir,  is  probably 
the  cause.  The  man  may  be  heavily  in  debt,  or  possibly  a  de 
faulter;  for  these  rogues,  when  they  break  down,  often  fall 
lower  than  the  'twixt  decks  of  a  ship  like  this." 


94  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

"This  will  do  to  put  the  quarter-deck  and  cabin  in  good 
humor  at  sailing,  and  give  them  something  to  open  an  ac 
quaintance  with ;  but  it  is  sawdust  to  none  but  your  new 
beginners.  I  have  known  1^hat  Seal  this  many  a  year,  and 
the  rogue  never  yet  had  a  case  that  touched  the  quarter-deck. 
It  is  as  the  man  and  his  wife  say,  and  I'll  not  give  them  up, 
out  here  in  blue  water,  for  as  much  foam  as  lies  on  Jersey 
beach  after  an  easterly  blow.  It  will  not  be  any  of  the  family 
of  Davis  that  will  satisfy  yonder  wind-eater ;  but  he  will  lay 
his  hand  on  the  whole  family  of  the  Montauk,  leaving  them 
the  agreeable  alternative  of  going  back  to  Portsmouth  in  his 
pleasant  society,  or  getting  out  here  in  mid-channel,  and  wading 

ashore  as  best  they  can.  D me !  if  I  believe,  Leach,  that 

Vattel  will  bear  the  fellow  out  in  it,  even  if  there  has  been  a 
whole  hogshead  of  the  leaves  trundled  into  his  island  without 
a  permit !" 

To  this  Mr.  Leach  had  no  encouraging  answer  to  make,  for, 
like  most  of  his  class,  he  held  practical  force  in  much  greater 
respect  than  the  abstractions  of  books.  He  deemed  it  prudent, 
therefore,  to  be  silent,  though  greatly  doubting  the  efficacy  of 
a  quotation  from  any  authority  on  board,  when  fairly  put  in 
opposition  to  a  written  order  from  the  admiral  at  Portsmouth, 
or  even  to  a  signal  sent  down  from  the  Admiralty  at  London. 

The  day  wore  away,  making  a  gradual  change  in  the  relative 
positions  of  the  two  ships,  though  so  slowly,  as  to  give  Captain 
Truck  strong  hopes  of  being  able  to  dodge  his  pursuer  in  the 
coming  night,  which  promised  to  be  dark  and  squally.  To  re 
turn  to  Portsmouth  was  his  full  intention,  but  not  until  he  had 
first  delivered  his  freight  and  passengers  in  New  York ;  for, 
like  all  men  bound  up  body  and  soul  in  the  performance  of  an 
especial  duty,  he  looked  on  a  frustration  of  his  immediate  object 
as  a  much  greater  calamity  than  even  a  double  amount  of  more 
remote  evil.  Besides,  he  felt  a  strong  reliance  on  the  liberality 
of  the  English  authorities  in  the  end,  and  had  little  doubt  of 
being  able  to  extricate  himself  and  his  ship  from  any  penalties 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  95 

to  which  the  indiscretion  or  cupidity  of  his  subordinates  might 
have  rendered  him  liable. 

Just  as  the  sun  dipped  into  the  watery  track  of  the  Mon- 
tauk,  most  of  the  cabin  passengers  again  appeared  on  deck,  to 
take  a  look  at  the  situation  of  the  two  vessels,  and  to  form 
their  own  conjectures  as  to  the  probable  result  of  the  adven 
ture.  By  this  timg  the  Foam  had  tacked  twice,  once  to 
weather  upon  the  wake  of  her  chase,  and  again  to  resume  her 
line  of  puisuit.  The  packet  was  too  good  a  ship  to  be  easily 
overtaken,  and  the  cruiser  was  now  nearly  hull-down  astern, 
but  evidently  coming  up  at  a  rate  that  would  bring  her  along 
side  before  morning.  The  wind  blew  in  squalls,  a  circum 
stance  that  always  aids  a  vessel  of  war,  as  the  greater  number 
of  her  hands  enables  them  to  make  and  shorten  sail  with  ease 
and  rapidity. 

"  This  unsettled  weather  is  as  much  as  a  mile  an  hour  against 
us,"  observed  Captain  Truck,  who  was  far  from  pleased  at  the 
fact  of  his  being  outsailed  by  any  thing  that  floated ;  "  and,  if 
truth  must  be  said,  I  think  that  fellow  has  somewhere  about 
half  a  knot  the  best  of  it,  in  the  way  of  foot,  on  a  bowline  and 
with  this  breeze.  But  he  has  no  cargo  in,  and  they  trim  their 
boats  like  steelyards.  Give  us  more  wind,  or  a  freer,  and  I 
would  leave  him  to  digest  his  orders,  as  a  shark  digests  a  mar- 
ling-spike  or  a  ring-bolt,  notwithstanding  all  his  advantages ; 
for  little  good  would  it  then  do  him  to  be  trying  to  run  into 
the  wind's  eye,  like  a  steam-tug.  As  it  is,  we  must  submit. 
We  are  certainly  in  a  category,  and  be  d d  to  it!" 

It  was  one  of  those  wild-looking  sunsets  that  are  so  frequent 
in  the  autumn,  in  which  appearances  are  worse,  perhaps,  than 
the  reality.  The  ships  were  now  so  near  the  Chops  of  the 
Channel  that  no  land  was  visible,  and  the  entire  horizon  pre 
sented  that  chill  and  wintry  aspect  that  belongs  to  gloomy  and 
driving  clouds,  to  which  streaks  of  dull  light  serve  more  to 
give  an  appearance  of  infinite  space  than  any  of  the  relief  of 
brightness.  It  was  a  dreary  night-fall  to  a  landsman's  eye  ; 


96  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

though  they  who  better  understood  the  signs  of  the  heavens, 
as  they  are  exhibited  on  the  ocean,  saw  little  more  than  the 
promise  of  obscurity,  and  the  usual  hazards  of  darkness  in  a 
much-frequented  sea. 

"  This  will  be  a  dirty  night,"  observed  John  Effingham,  "  and 
we  may  have  occasion  to  bring  in  some  of  the  flaunting  vanity 
of  the  ship,  ere  another  morning  returns." 

"  The  vessel  appears  to  be  in  good  hands,"  returned  Mr.  Ef 
fingham  :  "  I  have  watched  them  narrowly ;  for,  I  know  not  why, 
I  have  felt  more  anxiety  on  the  occasion  of  this  passage  than  on 
any  of  the  nine  I  have  already  made." 

As  he  spoke,  the  tender  father  unconsciously  bent  his  eyes  on 
Eve,  who  leaned  affectionately  on  his  arm,  steadying  her  light 
form  against  the  pitching  of  the  vessel.  She  understood  his 
feelings  better  than  he  did  himself,  possibly,  since,  accustomed  to 
his  fondest  care  from  childhood,  she  well  knew  that  he  seldom 
thought  of  others,  or  even  of  himself,  while  her  own  wants  or 
safety  appealed  to  his  unwearying  love. 

"  Father,"  she  said,  smiling  in  his  wistful  face,  "  we  have  seen 
more  troubled  waters  than  these,  far,  ajid  in  a  much  frailer 
vessel.  Do  you  not  remember  the  Wallenstadt  and  its  miser 
able  skiff?  where  I  have  heard  you  say  there  was  really  danger, 
though  we  escaped  from  it  all  with  a  little  fright.1' 

"  Perfectly  well  do  I  recollect  it,  love  ;  nor  have  I  forgotten 
our  brave  companion,  and  his  good  service,  at  that  critical  mo 
ment.  But  for  his  stout  arm  and  timely  succor  we  might  not, 
as  you  say,  have  been  quit  for  the  fright." 

Although  Mr.  Emngham  looked  only  at  his  daughter,  while 
speaking,  Mr.  Sharp,  who  listened  with  interest,  saw  the  quick, 
retreating  glance  of  Eve  at  Paul  Blunt,  and  felt  something  like 
a  chill  in  his  blood  as  he  perceived  that  her  own  cheeks  seemed 
to  reflect  the  glow  which  appeared  on  that  of  the  young  man. 
He  alone  observed  this  secret  evidence  of  common  interest  in 
some  event  in  which  both  had  evidently  been  actors,  those 
around  them  being  too  much  occupied  in  the  arrangements  of 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  97 

the  ship,  and  too  little  suspicious,  to  heed  the  trifling  circum 
stance.  Captain  Truck  had  ordered  all  hands  called,  to  make 
sail,  to  the  surprise  of  even  the  crew.  The  vessel,  at  the  mo 
ment,  was  staggering  along  under  as  much  canvas  as  she  could 
apparently  bear,  and  the  mates  looked  aloft  with  inquiring  eyes, 
as  if  to  ask  what  more  could  be  done. 

The  master  soon  removed  all  doubts.  With  a  rapidity  that 
is  not  common  in  merchant  ships,  but  which  is  usual  enough  in 
the  packets,  the  lower  studding-sails,  and  two  topmast  studding- 
sails  were  prepared,  and  made  ready  for  hoisting.  As  soon  as 
the  words  "  all  ready"  were  uttered,  the  helm  was  put  up,  the 
sails  were  set,  and  the  Montauk  was  running  with  a  free  wind 
towards  the  narrow  passage  between  the  Scilly  Islands  and  the 
Land's  End.  Captain  Truck  was  an  expert  Channel  pilot,  from 
long  practice,  and  keeping  the  run  of  the  tides  in  his  head,  he 
had  loosely  calculated  that  his  vessel  had  so  much  offing  as, 
with  a  free  wind,  and  the  great  progress  she  had  made  in  the 
last  twenty-four  hours,  would  enable  him  to  lay  through  the 
pass. 

"  'T  is  a  ticklish  hole  to  run  into  in  a  dirty  night,  with  a 
staggering  breeze,"  he  said,  rubbing  his  hands  as  if  the  hazard 
increased  his  satisfaction,  "  and  we  will  now  see  if  this  Foam 
has  mettle  enough  to  follow." 

"  The  chap  has  a  quick  eye,  and  good  glasses,  even  though 
he  should  want  nerve  for  the  Scilly  rocks,"  cried  the  mate, 
who  was  looking  out  from  the  mizzen  rigging.  "  There  go  his 
stun'-sails  already,  and  a  plenty  of  them !" 

Sure  enough,  the  cruiser  threw  out  her  studding-sails,  had 
them  full  and  drawing  in  five  minutes,  and  altered  her  course  so 
as  to  follow  the  Montauk.  There  was  now  no  longer  any  doubt 
concerning  her  object ;  for  it  was  hardly  possible  two  vessels 
should  adopt  so  bold  a  step  as  this,  just  at  dark,  and  on  such  a 
night,  unless  the  movements  of  one  were  regulated  by  the  move 
ments  of  the  other. 

In  the  mean  time,  anxious  faces  began  to  appear  on  the  qnar- 
5 


98  H  O  M  E  W  A  II  D      U  O  U  N  D  . 

ter-deck,  and  Mr.  Dodge  was  soon  seen  moving  stealthily  about 
among  the  passengers,  whispering  here,  cornering  there,  and 
seemingly  much  occupied  in  canvassing  opinions  on  the  subject 
of  the  propriety  of  the  step  that  the  master  had  just  taken ; 
though,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  he  rather  stimulated  oppo- 

O      ' 

sition  than  found  others  prepared  to  meet  his  wishes.  When 
he  thought,  however,  he  had  collected  a  sufficient  number  of 
suffrages  to  venture  on  an  experiment,  that  nothing  but  an  in 
herent  aversion  to  shipwreck  and  a  watery  grave  could  em 
bolden  him  to  make,  he  politely  invited  the  captain  to  a  private 
conference  in  the  stateroom  occupied  by  himself  and  Sir  George 
Templemore.  Changing  the  venue,  as  the  lawyers  term  it,  to 
his  own  little  apartment, — no  master  of  a  packet  willingly  con 
senting  to  transact  business  in  any  other  place — Captain  Truck, 
who  was  out  of  cigars  at  the  moment,  very  willingly  assented. 

When  the  two  were  seated,  and  the  door  of  the  room  was 
closed,  Mr.  Dodge  carefully  snuffed  the  candle,  looked  about 
him  to  make  sure  there  was  no  eave's-dropper  in  a  room  eight 
feet  by  seven,  and  then  commenced  his  subject,  with  what  he 
conceived  to  be  a  commendable  delicacy  and  discretion. 

"  Captain  Truck,"  he  said,  in  a  sort  of  low  confidential  tone 
that  denotes  equally  concern  and  mystery,  "  I  think  by  this 
time  you  must  have  set  me  down  as  one  of  your  warm  and 
true  friends  and  supporters.  I  came  out  in  your  ship,  and, 
please  God  we  escape  the  perils  of  the  sea,  it  is  my  hope  and 
intention  to  return  home  in  her." 

"  If  not,  friend  Dodge,"  returned  the  master,  observing  that 
the  other  paused  to  note  the  effect  of  his  peroration,  and  using 
a  familiarity  in  his  address  that  the  acquaintance  of  the  former 
passage  had  taught  him  was  not  misapplied  ;  "  if  not,  friend 
Dodge,  you  have  made  a  capital  mistake  in  getting  on  board 
of  her,  as  it  is  by  no  means  probable  an  occasion  will  offer  to 
get  out  of  her,  until  we  fall  in  with  a  news-boat,  or  a  pilot-boat, 
at  least  somewhere  in  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  Sandy 
Hook.  You  smoke,  I  believe,  sir." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  99 

"  I  ask  no  better,"  returned  Steadfast,  declining  the  offer ;  "  I 
have  told  every  one  on  the  Continent," — Mr.  Dodge  had  been 
to  Paris,  Geneva,  along  the  Rhine,  and  through  Belgium  and 
Holland,  and  in  his  eyes  this  was  the  Continent, — "  that  no  bet 
ter  ship  or  captain  sails  the  ocean ;  and  you  know,  captain,  I 
have  a  way  with  me,  when  I  please,  that  causes  what  I  say  to 
be  remembered.  Why,  my  dear  sir,  I  had  an  article  extolling 
the  whole  line  in  the  most  appropriate  terms,  and  this  ship  in  par 
ticular,  put  into  the  journal  at  Rotterdam.  It  was  so  well  done, 
that  not  a  soul  suspected  it  came  from  a  personal  friend  of  yours." 

The  captain  was  rolling  the  small  end  of  a  cigar  in  his  mouth 
to  prepare  it  for  smoking,  the  regulations  of  the  ship  forbidding 
any  further  indulgence  below  ;  but  when  he  received  this  assu 
rance,  he  withdrew  the  tobacco  with  the  sort  of  mystifying 
simplicity  that  gets  to  be  a  second  nature  with  a  regular  votary 
of  Neptune,  and  answered  with  a  coolness  of  manner  that  was 
in  ridiculous  contrast  to  the  affected  astonishment  of  the  words — 

"  The  devil  you  did ! — Was  it  in  good  Dutch  ?" 

"  I  do  not  understand  much  of  the  language,"  said  Mr.  Dodge, 
hesitatingly ;  for  all  he  knew,  in  truth,  was  yaw  and  nein,  and 
neither  of  these  particularly  well ; — "  but  it  looked  to  be  un 
commonly  well  expressed.  I  could  do  no  more  than  pay  a  mail 
to  translate  it.  But  to  return  to  this  affair  of  running  in  among 
the  Scilly  Islands  such  a  night  as  this." 

"  Return,  my  good  fellow !  this  is  the  first  syllable  you  have 
said  about  the  matter  !" 

"  Concern  on  your  account  has  caused  me  to  forget  myself. 
To  be  frank  with  you,  Captain  Truck,  and  if  I  weren't  your  very 
best  friend  I  should  be  silent,  there  is  considerable  excitement 
getting  up  about  this  matter." 

"  Excitement !  what  is  that  like  ? — A  sort  of  moral  head-sea, 
do  you  mean  ?" 

"  Precisely :  and  I  must  tell  you  the  truth,  though  I  had 
rather  a  thousand  times  not;  but  this  change  in  the  ship's 
course  is  monstrous  unpopular !" 


100  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  That  is  bad  news,  with  a  vengeance,  Mr.  Dodge ;  I  shall 
rely  on  you,  as  an  old  friend,  to  get  up  an  opposition." 

"  My  dear  captain,  I  have  done  all  I  could  in  that  way 
already;  but  1  never  met  with  people  so  bent  on  a  thing  as 
most  of  the  passengers.  The  Effinghams  are  very  decided, 
though  so  purse-proud  and  grand ;  Sir  George  Templemore  de 
clares  it  is  quite  extraordinary,  and  even  the  French  lady  is 
furious.  To  be  as  sincere  as  the  crisis  demands,  public  opinion  is 
setting  so  strong  against  you,  that  I  expect  an  explosion." 

"  Well,  so  long  as  the  tide  sets  in  my  favor,  I  must  endeavor 
to  bear  it.  Stemming  a  current,  in  or  out  of  water,  is  up-hill 
work ;  but  with  a  good  bottom,  clean  copper,  and  plenty  of 
wind,  it  may  be  done." 

"  It  would  not  surprise  me  were  the  gentlemen  to  appeal  to 
the  general  sentiment  against  you  when  we  arrive,  and  make  a 
handle  of  it  against  your  line  !" 

"It  may  be  so  indeed;  but  what  can  be  done  ?  If  we  return, 
the  Englishman  will  certainly  catch  us,  and,  in  that  case,  my 
own  opinion  would  be  dead  against  me  !" 

"  Well,  well,  captain ;  I  thought  as  a  friend  I  would  speak 
my  mind.  If  this  thing  should  really  get  into  the  papers  in 
America,  it  would  spread  like  fire  in  the  prairies.  You  know 
what  the  papers  are,  I  trust,  Captain  Truck  ?" 

"  I  rather  think  I  do,  Mr.  Dodge,  with  many  thanks  for  your 
hints,  and  I  believe  I  know  what  the  Scilly  Islands  are,  too. 
The  elections  will  be  nearly  or  quite  over  by  the  time  we  get 
in,  and,  thank  God,  they'll  not  be  apt  to  make  a  party  question 
of  it,  this  fall  at  least.  In  the  mean  time  rely  on  my  keeping 
a  good  look-out  for  the  shoals  of  popularity,  and  the  quicksand  s 
of  excitement.  You  smoke  sometimes,  I  know,  and  I  can  rec 
ommend  this  cigar  as  fit  to  regale  the  nose  of  that  chap  of 
Strasbourg — you  read  your  Bible,  I  know,  Mr.  Dodge,  and  need 
not  be  told  whom  I  mean.  The  steward  will  be  happy  to  give 
you  a  light  on  deck,  sir." 

In  this  manner,  Captain  Truck,  with  the  sang  froid  of  an  old 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  101 

tar,  and  the  tact  of  a  packet-master,  got  rid  of  his  troublesome 
visitor,  who  departed,  half  suspecting  that  he  had  been  quizzed, 
but  still  ruminating  on  the  expediency  of  getting  up  a  com 
mittee,  or  at  least  a  public  meeting  in  the  cabin,  to  follow  up 
the  blow.  By  the  aid  of  the  latter,  could  he  but  persuade  Mr. 
Effingham  to  take  the  chair,  and  Sir  George  Tempiemore  to  act 
as  secretary,  he  thought  he  might  escape  a  sleepless  night,  and, 
what  was  of  quite  as  much  importance,  make  a  figure  in  a 
paragraph  on  reaching  home. 

Mr.  Dodge,  whose  Christian  name,  thanks  to  a  pious  an 
cestry,  was  Steadfast,  partook  of  the  qualities  that  his  two  ap 
pellations  not  inaptly  expressed.  There  was  a  singular  profes 
sion  of  steadiness  of  purpose,  and  of  high  principle  about  him, 
all  of  which  vanished  in  Dodge  at  the  close.  A  great  stickler 
for  the  rights  of  the  people,  he  never  considered  that  this  peo 
ple  was  composed  of  many  integral  parts,  but  he  viewed  all 
things  as  gravitating  towards  the  great  aggregation.  Majorities 
were  his  hobbies,  and  though  singularly  timid  as  an  individual, 
or  when  in  the  minority,  put  him  on  the  strongest  side  and  he 
was  ready  to  face  the  devil.  In  short,  Mr.  Dodge  was  a  peo 
ple's  man,  because  his  strongest  desire,  his  "  ambition  and  his 
pride,'"  as  he  often  expressed  it,  was  to  be  a  man  of  the  people. 
In  his  particular  neighborhood,  at  home,  sentiment  ran  in  veins, 
like  gold  in  the  mines,  or  in  streaks  of  public  opinion ;  and 
though  there  might  be  three  or  four  of  these  public  sentiments, 
so  long  as  each  had  its  party,  no  one  was  afraid  to  avow  it ;  but 
as  for  maintaining  a  notion  that  was  not  thus  upheld,  there  was 
a  savor  of  aristocracy  about  it  that  would  damn  even  a  mathe 
matical  proposition,  though  regularly  solved  and  proved.  So 
much  and  so  long  had  Mr.  Dodge  respired  a  moral  atmosphere 
of  this  community-character,  and  gregarious  propensity,  that 
he  had,  in  many  things,  lost  all  sense  of  his  individuality ;  as 
much  so,  in  fact,  as  if  he  breathed  with  a  pair  of  county  lungs, 
ate  with  a  common  mouth,  drank  from  the  town-pump,  and 
slept  in  the  open  air. 


102  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

Sucli  a  man  was  not  very  likely  to  make  an  impression  on 
Captain  Truck,  one  accustomed  to  rely  on  himself  alone,  in  the 
face  of  warring  elements,  and  who  knew  that  a  ship  could  not 
safely  have  more  than  a  single  will,  and  that  the  will  of  her 
master. 

The  accidents  of  life  could  scarcely  form  extremes  of  char 
acter  more  remote  than  that  of  Steadfast  Dodge  and  that  of 
John  Truck.  The  first  never  did  any  thing  beyond  acts  of  the 
most  ordinary  kind,  without  first  weighing  its  probable  effect 
in  the  neighborhood ;  its  popularity  or  unpopularity ;  how  it 
might  tally  with  the  different  public  opinions  that  were  whiffling 
through  the  county ;  in  what  manner  it  would  influence  the 
next  election,  and  whether  it  would  be  likely  to  elevate  him  or 
depress  him  in  the  public  mind.  No  Asiatic  slave  stood  more 
in  terror  of  a  vindictive  master  than  Mr.  Dodge  stood  in  fear 
and  trembling  before  the  reproofs,  comments,  censures,  frowns, 
cavillings,  and  remarks  of  every  man  in  his  county,  who  hap 
pened  to  belong  to  the  political  party  that  just  at  that  moment 
was  in  power.  As  to  the  minority,  he  was  as  brave  as  a  lion, 
could  snap  his  fingers  at  them,  and  was  foremost  in  deriding 
and  scoffing  at  all  they  said  and  did.  This,  however,  was  in 
connection  with  politics  only ;  for,  the  instant  party-drill  ceased 
to  be  of  value,  Steadfast's  valor  oozed  out  of  his  composition, 
and  in  all  other  things  he  dutifully  consulted  every  public 
opinion  of  the  neighborhood.  This  estimable  man  had  his 
weak  points  as  well  as  another,  and  what  is  more,  he  was  quite 
sensible  of  them,  as  was  proved  by  a  most  jealous  watchfulness 
of  his  besetting  sins,  in  the  way  of  exposure  if  not  of  indul 
gence.  In  a  word,  Steadfast  Dodge  was  a  man  that  wished  to 
meddle  with  and  control  all  things,  without  possessing  precisely 
the  spirit  that  was  necessary  to  leave  him  master  of  himself; 
he  had  a  rabid  desire  for  the  good  opinion  of  every  thing 
human,  without  always  taking  the  means  necessary  to  preserve 
his  own ;  was  a  stout  declaimer  for  the  rights  of  the  com 
munity,  while  forgetting  that  the  community  itself  is  but  a 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  103 

means  set  up  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  given  end  ;  and  felt 
an  inward  and  profound  respect  for  every  thing  that  was  be 
yond  his  reach,  which  manifested  itself,  not  in  manly  efforts  to 
attain  the  forbidden  fruit,  but  rather  in  a  spirit  of  opposition 
and  detraction,  that  only  betrayed,  through  its  jealousy,  the 
existence  of  the  feeling,  which  jealousy,  however,  he  affected 
to  conceal  under  an  intense  regard  for  popular  rights,  since  he 
was  apt  to  aver  it  was  quite  intolerable  that  any  man  should 
possess  any  thing,  even  to  qualities,  in  which  his  neighbors 
might  not  properly  participate.  All  these,  moreover,  and  many 
similar  traits,  Mr.  Dodge  encouraged  in  the  spirit  of  liberty ! 

On  the  other  hand,  John  Truck  sailed  his  own  ship ;  was 
civil  to  his  passengers  from  habit  as  well  as  policy ;  knew  that 
every  vessel  must  have  a  captain  ;  believed  mankind  to  be  little 
better  than  asses ;  took  his  own  observations,  and  cared  not  a 
straw  for  those  of  his  mates ;  was  never  more  bent  on  follow 
ing  his  own  views  than  when  all  hands  grumbled  and  opposed 
him ;  was  daring  by  nature,  decided  from  use  and  long  self-re 
liance,  and  was  every  way  a  man  fitted  to  steer  his  bark  through 
the  trackless  ways  of  life,  as  well  as  those  of  the  ocean.  It  was 
fortunate  for  one  in  his  particular  position,  that  nature  had 
made  the  possessor  of  so  much  self-will  and  temporary  authority, 
cool  and  sarcastic  rather  than  hot-headed  and  violent ;  and  for 
this  circumstance  Mr.  Dodge  in  particular  had  frequent  occa 
sions  for  felicitation. 


104  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


CHAPTER    VIIT. 

"  But  then  we  are  in  order,  when  we  arc 
Most  out  of  order." 

JACK  CADE. 

DISAPPOINTED  in  his  private  appeal  to  the  captain's  dread  of 
popular  disapprobation,  Mr.  Dodge  returned  to  his  secret  work 
on  deck ;  for  like  a  true  freeman  of  the  exclusive  school,  this 
person  never  presumed  to  work  openly,  unless  sustained  by  a 
clear  majority ;  canvassing  all  around  him,  and  striving  hard  to 
create  a  public  opinion,  as  he  termed  it,  on  his  side  of  the  ques 
tion,  by  persuading  his  hearers  that  every  one  was  of  his  par 
ticular  way  of  thinking  already ;  a  method  of  exciting  a  feeling 
much  practised  by  partisans  of  his  school.  In  the  interval, 
Captain  Truck  was  working  up  his  day's  reckoning  by  himself, 
in  his  own  stateroom,  thinking  little,  and  caring  less,  about  any 
thing  but  the  results  of  his  figures,  which  soon  convinced  him, 
that  by  standing  a  few  hours  longer  on  his  present  course,  he 
should  "  plump  his  ship  ashore"  somewhere  between  Falmouth 
and  the  Lizard. 

This  discovery  annoyed  the  worthy  master  so  much  the  more, 
on  account  of  the  suggestions  of  his  late  visitor ;  for  nothing 
could  be  less  to  his  taste  than  to  have  the  appearance  of  altering 
his  determination  under  a  menace.  Still  something  must  be 
done  before  midnight,  for  he  plainly  perceived  that  thirty  or 
forty  miles,  at  the  farthest,  would  fetch  up  the  Montauk  on  her 
present  course.  The  passengers  had  left  the  deck  to  escape  the 
night  air,  and  he  heard  the  Effinghams  inviting  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Mr.  Blunt  into  the  ladies'  cabin,  which  had  been  taken  ex- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  105 

pressly  for  their  party,  while  the  others  were  calling  upon  the 
stewards  for  the  usual  allowance  of  hot  drinks,  at  the  dining- 
table  without.  The  talking  and  noise  disturbed  him  ;  his  own 
stateroom  became  too  confined,  and  he  went  on  deck  to  come 
to  his  decision,  in  view  of  the  angry-looking  skies  and  the  watery 
waste,  over  which  he  was  called  to  prevail.  Here  we  shall 
leave  him,  pacing  the  quarter-deck,  in  rnoody  silence  alone,  too 
much  disturbed  to  smoke  even,  while  the  mate  of  the  watch 
sat  in  the  inizzen-rigging,  like  a  monkey,  keeping  a  look-out  to 
windward  and  ahead.  In  the  mean  time,  we  will  return  to  the 
cabin  of  the  Effirighams. 

The  Montauk  was  one  of  the  noblest  of  those  surpassingly 
beautiful  and  yacht-like  ships  that  now  ply  between  the  two 
hemispheres  in  such  numbers,  and  which  in  luxury  and  the 
fitting  conveniences  seem  to  vie  with  each  other  for  the  mastery. 
The  cabins  were  lined  with  satin-wood  and  bird's-eye  maple ; 
small  marble  columns  separated  the  glittering  panels  of  pol 
ished  wood,  and  rich  carpets  covered  the  floors.  The  main 
cabin  had  the  great  table,  as  a  fixture,  in  the  centre,  but  that 
of  Eve,  somewhat  shorter,  but  of  equal  width,  was  free  from  all 
encumbrance  of  the  sort.  It  had  its  sofas,  cushions,  mirrors, 
stools,  tables,  and  an  upright  piano.  The  doors  of  the  state 
rooms,  and  other  conveniences,  opened  on  its  sides  and  ends. 
In  short,  it  presented,  at  that  hour,  the  resemblance  of  a  taste 
ful  boudoir,  rather  than  that  of  an  apartment  in  a  cramped  and 
vulgar  ship. 

Here,  then,  all  who  properly  belonged  to  the  place  were  as 
sembled,  with  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt  as  guests,  when  a  tap 
at  the  door  announced  another  visitor.  It  was  Mr.  Dodge,  beg 
ging  to  be  admitted  on  a  matter  of  business.  Eve  smiled,  as 
she  bowed  assent  to  old  Nanny,  who  acted  as  her  groom  of  the 
chambers,  and  hastily  expressed  a  belief  that  her  guest  must 
have  come  with  a  proposal  to  form  a  Dorcas  society. 

Although  Mr.  Dodge  was  as  bold  as  Caesar  in  expressing  his 
contempt  for  any  thing  but  popular  sway,  he  never  came  into 


106  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  presence  of  the  quiet  and  well-bred  without  a  feeling  of  dis 
trust  and  uneasiness,  that  had  its  rise  in  the  simple  circum 
stance  of  his  not  being  used  to  their  company.  Indeed,  there 
is  nothing  more  appalling,  in  general,  to  the  vulgar  and  pre 
tending,  than  the  simplicity  and  natural  ease  of  the  refined. 
Their  own  notions  of  elegance  lie  so  much  on  the  surface,  that 
they  seem  at  first  to  suspect  an  ambush,  and  it  is  probable  that, 
finding  so  much  repose  where,  agreeably  to  their  preconceived 
opinions,  all  ought  to  be  fuss  and  pretension,  they  imagine 
themselves  to  be  regarded  as  intruders. 

Mr.  Effingham  gave  their  visitor  a  polite  reception,  and  one 
that  was  marked  with  a  little  more  than  the  usual  formality,  by 
way  of  letting  it  be  understood  that  the  apartment  was  private ; 
a  precaution  that  he  knew  was  very  necessary  in  associating 
with  tempers  like  those  of  Steadfast.  All  this  was  thrown 
away  on  Mr.  Dodge,  notwithstanding  every  other  person  present 
admired  the  tact  with  which  the  host  kept  his  guest  at  a  dis 
tance,  by  extreme  attention,  for  the  latter  fancied  so  much  cer 
emony  was  but  a  homage  to  his  claims.  It  had  the  effect  to 
put  him  on  his  own  good  behavior,  however,  and  of  suspending 
the  brusque  manner  in  which  he  had  intended  to  broach  his 
subject.  As  everybody  waited  in  calm  silence,  as  if  expecting 
an  explanation  of  the  cause  of  his  visit,  Mr.  Dodge  soon  felt 
himself  constrained  to  say  something,  though  it  might  not  be 
quite  as  clearly  as  he  could  wish. 

"  We  have  had  a  considerable  pleasant  time,  Miss  Effingham, 
since  we  sailed  from  Portsmouth,"  he  observed  familiarly. 

Eve  bowed  her  assent,  determined  not  to  take  to  herself  a 
visit  that  did  violence  to  all  her  habits  and  notions  of  propriety. 
But  Mr.  Dodge  was  too  obtuse  to  feel  the  hint  conveyed  in  mere 
reserve  of  manner. 

"  It  would  have  been  more  agreeable,  I  allow,  had  not  this 
man-of-war  taken  it  into  her  head  to  follow  us  in  this  unprece 
dented  manner."  Mr.  Dodge  was  as  fond  of  his  dictionary  as 
the  steward,  though  he  belonged  to  the  political,  while  Saun- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  107 

ders  merely  adorned  the  polite  scliool  of  talkers.  "  Sir  George 
calls  it  a  most  'uncomfortable  procedure.'  You  know  Sir 
George  Templemore,  without  doubt,  Miss  Effingham  ?" 

"  I  am  aware  there  is  a  person  of  that  name  on  board,  sir," 
returned  Eve,  who  recoiled  from  this  familiarity  with  the  sensi 
tiveness  which  a  well-educated  female  distinguishes  between  one 
who  appreciates  her  character  and  one  who  does  not ;  "  but 
have  never  had  the  honor  of  his  acquaintance." 

Mr.  Dodge  thought  all  this  extraordinary,  for  he  had  wit 
nessed  Captain  Truck's  introduction,  and  did  not  understand 
how  people  who  had  sailed  twenty-four  hours  in  the  same  ship, 
and  had  been  fairly  introduced,  should  not  be  intimate.  As  for 
himself,  he  fancied  he  was,  what  he  termed,  "  well  acquainted" 
with  the  Effinghams,  from  having  talked  of  them  a  great  deal 
ignorantly,  and  not  a  little  maliciously  ;  a  liberty  he  felt  him 
self  fully  entitled  to  take,  from  the  circumstance  of  residing  in 
the  same  county,  although  he  had  never  spoken  to  one  of  the 
family,  until  accident  placed  him  in  their  company  on  board 
the  same  vessel. 

"  Sir  George  is  a  gentleman  of  great  accomplishments,  Miss 
Effingham,  I  assure  you  ;  a  man  of  unqualified  merit.  We  have 
the  same  stateroom,  for  I  like  company,  and  prefer  chatting  a 
little  in  my  berth  to  being  always  asleep.  He  is  a  baronet,  I 
suppose  you  know, — not  that  I  care  any  thing  for  titles,  all  men 
being  equal  in  truth,  though — though — " 

"  Unequal  in  reality,  sir,  you  probably  meant  to  add,"  ob 
served  John  Effingham,  who  was  lolling  on  Eve's  work-stand, 
his  eagle-shaped  face  fairly  curling  with  the  contempt  he  felt, 
and  which  he  hardly  cared  to  conceal. 

"  Surely  not,  sir !"  exclaimed  the  terrified  Steadfast,  looking 
furtively  about,  lest  some  active  enemy  might  be  at  hand  to 
quote  this  unhappy  remark  to  his  prejudice.  "Surely  not! 
men  are  every  way  equal,  and  no  one  can  pretend  to  be  better 
than  another.  No,  no, — it  is  nothing  to  me  that  Sir  George 
is  a  baronet ;  though  one  would  prefer  having  a  gentleman  in 


JOS  HO  ME  WARD     BOUND. 

the  same  stateroom  to  having  a  coarse  fellow.  Sir  George 
thinks,  sir,  that  the  ship  is  running  into  great  danger  by  steering 
for  the  land  in  so  dark  a  night,  and  in  such  dirty  weather.  He 
has  many  out-of-the-way  expressions,  Sir  George,  I  must  admit, 
for  one  of  his  rank ;  he  calls  the  weather  dirty,  and  the  pro 
ceedings  uncomfortable ;  modes  of  expression,  gentlemen,  to 
which  I  give  an  -unqualified  disapprobation." 

"Probably  Sir  George  would  attach  more  importance  to  a 
qualified  disapprobation,"  retorted  John  Effingham. 

"  Quite  likely,"  returned  Mr.  Dodge  innocently,  though  the 
two  other  visitors,  Eve,  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville  permitted 
slight  muscular  movements  about  the  lips  to  be  seen  :  "  Sir 
George  is  quite  an  original  in  his  way.  "We  have  few  originals 
in  our  part  of  the  country,  you  know,  Mr.  John  Effingham  ;  for 
to  say  the  truth,  it  is  rather  unpopular  to  differ  from  the  neigh 
borhood,  in  this  or  any  other  respect.  Yes,  sir,  the  people  will 
rule,  and  ought  to  rule.  Still,  I  think  Sir  George  may  get 
along  well  enough  as  a  stranger,  for  it  is  not  quite  as  unpopular 
in  a  stranger  to  be  original,  as  in  a  native.  I  think  you  will 
agree  with  me,  sir,  in  believing  it  excessively  presuming  in  an 
American  to  pretend  to  be  different  from  his  fellow-citizens." 

"  No  one,  sir,  could  entertain  such  presumption,  I  am  per 
suaded,  in  your  case." 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not  speak  from  personal  motives  ;  but  on  the 
great  general  principles,  that  are  to  be  maintained  for  the  good 
of  mankind.  I  do  not  know  that  any  man  has  a  right  to  be 
peculiar  in  a  free  country.  It  is  aristocratic,  and  has  an  air  of 
thinking  one  man  is  better  than  another.  I  am  sure  Mr.  Effing 
ham  cannot  approve  of  it?" 

"  Perhaps  not.  Freedom  has  many  arbitrary  laws  that  it  will 
not  do  to  violate." 

"  Certainly,  sir,  or  where  would  be  its  supremacy  ?  If  the 
people  cannot  control  and  look  down  peculiarity,  or  any  thing 
they  dislike,  one  might  as  well  live  in  a  despotism  at  once." 

"  As  I  have  resided  much  abroad,  of  late  years,  Mr.  Dodge," 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  109 

inquired  Eve,  who  was  fearful  her  kinsman  would  give  some 
cut  that  would  prove  to'  bo  past  bearing,  as  she  saw  his  eye  was 
menacing,  and  who  felt  a  disposition  to  be  amused  at  the  othei's 
philosophy,  that  overcame  the  attraction  of  repulsion  she  had 
at  first  experienced  towards  him — "  will  you  favor  me  with 
some  of  those  great  principles  of  liberty  of  which  I  hear  so 
much,  but  which,  I  fear,  have  been  overlooked  by  my  European 
instructors  ?" 

Mademoiselle  Viefville  looked  grave ;  Messrs.  Sharp  and 
Blunt  delighted  ;  Mr.  Dodge,  himself,  mystified. 

"  I  should  feel  myself  little  able  to  instruct  Miss  Effingham 
on  such  a  subject,"  the  latter  modestly  replied,  "«s  no  doubt 
she  has  seen  too  much  misery  in  the  nations  she  has  visited, 
not  to  appreciate  justly  all  the  advantages  of  that  happy  coun 
try  which  has  the  honor  of  claiming  her  for  one  of  its  fail- 
daughters." 

Eve  was  terrified  at  her  own  temerity,  for  she  was  far  from 
anticipating  so  high  a  flight  of  eloquence  in  return  for  her  own 
simple  request,  but  it  was  too  late  to  retreat. 

"None  of  the  many  illustrious  and  godlike  men  that  our 
own  beloved  land  has  produced  can  pretend  to  more  zeal  in  its 
behalf  than  myself,  but  I  fear  my  abilities  to  do  it  justice  will 
fall  far  short  of  the  subject,"  he  continued.  "  Liberty,  as  you 
know,  Miss  Effingham,  as  you  well  know,  gentlemen,  is  a  boon 
that  merits  our  unqualified  gratitude,  and  which  calls  for  our 
daily  and  hourly  thanks  to  the  gallant  spirits  who,  in  the  .days 
that  tried  men's  souls,  were  foremost  in  the  tented,  field,  and  in 
the  councils  of  the  nation." 

John  Effingham  turned  a  glance  at  Eve,  that  seemed  to  tell 
her  how  unequal  she  was  to  the  task  she  had  undertaken,  and 
which  promised  a  rescue,  with  her  consent ;  a  condition  that 
the  young  lady  most  gladly  complied  with  in  the  same  silent 
but  expressive  manner. 

"  Of  all  this  my  young  kinswoman  is  properly  sensible,  Mr. 
Dodge,"  he  said  by  way  of  diversion  ;  "  but  she,  and  I  confess 


110  HO  ME  WARD     BOUND. 

myself,  have  some  little  perplexity  on  the  subject  of  what  this 
liberty  is,  about  which  so  much  has  been  said  and  written  in 
our  time.  Permit  me  to  inquire,  if  you  understand  by  it  a  per 
fect  independence  of  thought,  action,  and  rights  ?" 

"Equal  laws,  equal  rights,  equality  in  all  respects,  and  pure, 
abstract,  unqualified  liberty,  beyond  all  question,  sir." 

"  What,  a  power  in  the  strong  man  to  beat  the  little  man, 
and  to  take  away  his  dinner  ?" 

"By  no  means,  sir;  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  maintain 
any  such  doctrine  !  It  means  entire  liberty  :  no  kings,  no  aristo 
crats,  no  exclusive  privileges ;  but  one  man  as  good  as  another !" 

"  Do  you  understand,  then,  that  one  man  is  as  good  as  an 
other,  under  our  system,  Mr.  Dodge  ?" 

"  Unqualifiedly  so,  sir ;  I  am  amazed  that  such  a  question 
should  be  put  by  a  gentleman  of  your  information,  in  an  ago 
like  this !" 

"  If  one  man  is  as  good  as  another,"  said  Mr.  Blunt,  who  per 
ceived  that  John  Effingham  was  biting  his  lips,  a  sign  that 
something  more  biting  would  follow, — "  will  you  do  me  the 
favor  to  inform  me,  why  the  country  puts  itself  to  the  trouble 
and  expense  of  the  annual  elections  ?" 

"  Elections,  sir !  In  what  manner  could  free  institutions  flour 
ish  or  be  maintained,  without  constantly  appealing  to  the  people, 
the  only  true  sources  of  power  ?" 

"  To  this  I  make  no  objections,  Mr.  Dodge,"  returned  the 
young  man,  smiling;  "  but  why  an  election  ?  If  one  man  is  as 
good  as  another,  a  lottery  would  be  cheaper,  easier,  and  sooner 
settled.  Why  an  election,  or  even  a  lottery  at  all  ?  why  not 
choose  the  President  as  the  Persians  choose  their  king,  by  the 
neighing  of  a  horse  ?" 

"  This  would  be  indeed  an  extraordinary  mode  of  proceeding 
for  an  intelligent  and  virtuous  people,  Mr.  Blunt ;  and  I  must 
take  the  liberty  of  saying  that  I  suspect  you  of  pleasantry.  If 
you  wish  an  answer,  I  will  say  at  once,  by  such  a  process  we 
might  get  a  knave,  or  a  fool,  or  a  traitor." 


IIO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  Ill 

"  How,  Mr.  Dodge  !  I  did  not  expect  this  character  of  the 
country  from  you !  Are  the  Americans,  then,  all  fools,  or 
knaves,  or  traitors  ?" 

"  If  you  intend  to  travel  much  in  our  country,  sir,  I  would 
advise  great  caution  in  throwing  out  such  an  insinuation,  for  it 
would  be  apt  to  meet  with  a  very  general  and  unqualified  dis 
approbation.  Americans  are  enlightened  and  free,  and  as  far 
from  deserving  these  epithets  as  any  people  on  earth." 

"  And  yet  the  fact  follows  from  your  own  theory.  If  one 
man  is  as  good  as  another,  and  any  one  of  them  is  a  fool,  or  a 
knave,  or  a  traitor, — all  are  knaves,  or  fools,  or  traitors !  The 
insinuation  is  not  mine,  but  it  follows,  I  think,  inevitably,  as  a 
consequence  of  your  own  proposition." 

In  the  pause  that  succeeded,  Mr.  Sharp  said  in  a  low  voice  to 
Eve,  "  He  is  an  Englishman,  after  all !" 

"  Mr.  Dodge  does  not  mean  that  one  man  is  as  good  as  an 
other  in  that  particular  sense,"  Mr.  Effingham  kindly  interposed, 
in  his  quality  of  host ;  "  his  views  are  less  general,  I  fancy,  than 
his  words  would  give  us,  at  first,  reason  to  suppose." 

"  Very  true,  Mr.  Effingham,  very  true,  sir ;  one  man  is  not  as 
good  as  another  in  that  particular  sense,  or  in  the  sense  of  elec 
tions,  but  in  all  other  senses.  Yes,  sir,"  turning  towards  Mr. 
Blunt  again,  as  one  reviews  the  attack  on  an  antagonist,  who  has 
given  a  fall,  after  taking  breath ;  "  in  all  other  senses,  one  man 
is  unqualifiedly  as  good  as  another.  One  man  has  the  same 
rights  as  another." 

"  The  slave  as  the  freeman  ?" 

"  The  slaves  are  exceptions,  sir.  But  in  the  free  States  except 
in  the  case  of  elections,  one  man  is  as  good  as  another  in  all 
things.  That  is  our  meaning,  and  any  other  principle  would 
be  unqualifiedly  unpopular." 

"  Can  one  man  make  a  shoe  as  well  as  another  ?" 

"Of  rights,  sir, — I  stick  to  the  rights,  you  will  remem 
ber." 

"Has  the  minor  the  same  rights  as  the  man  of  full  age  ;  the 


112  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

apprentice  as  the  master ;  the  vagabond  as  the  resident ;  the 
man  who  cannot  pay  as  the  man  who  can  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  not  in  that  sense  either.  You  do  not  understand 
me,  sir,  I  fear.  All  that  I  mean  is,  that  in  particular  things, 
one  man  is  as  good  as  another  in  America.  This  is  American 
doctrine,  though  it  may  not  happen  to  be  English,  and  I  flatter 
myself  it  will  stand  the  test  of  the  strictest  investigation." 

"And  you  will  allow  me  to  inquire,  where  this  is  not  the 
case,  in  particular  things.  If  you  mean  to  say  that  there  are 
fewer  privileges  accorded  to  the  accidents  of  birth,  or  to  fortune 
and  station  in  America,  than  is  usual  in  other  countries,  we 
shall  agree;  but  I  think  it  will  hardly  do  to  say  there  are 
none !" 

"Privileges  accorded  to  birth  in  America,  sir!  The  idea 
would  be  odious  to  her  people  !" 

"Does  not  the  child  inherit  the  property  of  the  father?" 

"  Most  assuredly ;  but  this  can  hardly  be  termed  a  privilege." 

"  That  may  depend  a  good  deal  on  taste.  I  should  account 
it  a  greater  privilege  than  to  inherit  a  title  without  the  fortune." 

"  I  perceive,  gentlemen,  that  we  do  not  perfectly  understand 
each  other,  and  I  must  postpone  the  discussion  to  a  more  favor 
able  opportunity;  for  I  confess  great  uneasiness  at  this  decision 
of  the  captain's,  about  steering  in  among  the  rocks  of  Sylla." 
(Mr.  Dodge  was  not  as  clear-headed  as  common,  in  consequence 
of  the  controversy  that  had  just  occurred.)  "I  challenge  you 
to  renew  the  subject  another  time,  gentlemen.  I  only  happen 
ed  in"  (another  peculiarity  of  diction  in  this  gentleman)  "  to 
make  a  first  call,  for  I  suppose  there  is  no  exclusion  in  an 
American  ship  ?" 

"  None  whatever,  sir,"  Mr.  John  Effingharn  coldly  answered. 
"  All  the  staterooms  are  in  common,  and  I  propose  to  seize  an 
early  occasion  to  return  this  compliment,  by  making  myself  at 
home  in  the  apartment  which  has  the  honor  to  lodge  Mr.  Dodge 
and  Sir  George  Templemore." 

Here  Mr.  Dodge  beat  a  retreat,  without  touching  at  all  on 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  113 

his  real  errand.  Instead  of  even  following  up  the  matter  with 
the  other  passengers,  he  got  into  a  corner,  with  one  or  two  con 
genial  spirits,  who  had  taken  great  offence  that  the  Effinghams 
should  presume  to  retire  into  their  cabin,  and  particularly  that 
they  should  have  the  extreme  aristocratical  audacity  to  shut  the 
door,  where  he  continued  pouring  into  the  greedy  ears  of  his 
companions  his  own  history  of  the  recent  dialogue,  in  which, 
according  to  his  own  account  of  the  matter,  he  had  completely 
gotten  the  better  of  that  "  young  upstart,  Blunt,"  a  man  of  whom 
he  knew  positively  nothing,  divers  anecdotes  of  the  Effingham 
family,  that  came  of  the  lowest  and  most  idle  gossip  of  rustic 
malignancy,  and  his  own  vague  and  confused  notions  of  the 
rights  of  persons  and  of  things.  Very  different  was  the  conver 
sation  that  ensued  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  after  the  welcome  dis 
appearance  of  the  uninvited  guest.  'Not  a  remark  of  any  sort 
was  made  on  his  intrusion,  or  on  his  folly ;  even  John  Effing- 
ham,  little  addicted  in  common  to  forbearance,  being  too  proud 
to  waste  his  breath  on  so  low  game,  and  too  well  enough  taught 
to  open  upon  a  man  the  moment  his  back  was  turned.  But  the 
subject  was  continued,  and  in  a  manner  better  suited  to  the 
education,  intelligence,  and  views  of  the  several  speakers. 

Eve  said  but  little,  though  she  ventured  to  ask  a  question 
now  and  then ;  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt  being  the  principal 
supporters  of  the  discourse,  with  an  occasional  quiet,  discreet 
remark  from  the  young  lady's  father,  and  a  sarcasm,  now  and 
then,  from  John  Effingham.  Mr.  Blunt,  though  advancing  his 
opinions  with  diffidence,  and  with  a  proper  deference  for  the 
greater  experience  of  the  two  elder  gentlemen,  soon  made 
his  superiority  apparent,  the  subject  proving  to  be  one  on 
which  he  had  evidently  thought  a  great  deal,  and  that  too 
with  a  discrimination  and  originality  that  are  far  from  com 
mon. 

He  pointed  out  the  errors  that  are  usually  made  on  the  sub 
ject  of  the  institutions  of  the  American  Union,  by  confounding 
the  effects  of  the  general  government  with  those  of  the  separate 


114:  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

States;  and  he  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  Confederation 
itself  had,  in  reality,  no  distinctive  character  of  its  own,  even 
for  or  against  liberty.  It  was  a  confederation,  and  got  its  char 
acter  from  the  characters  of  its  several  parts,  which  of  them 
selves  were  independent  in  all  things,  on  the  important  point 
of  distinctive  principles,  with  the  exception  of  the  vague  gen 
eral  provision  that  they  must  be  republics ;  a  provision  that 
meant  any  thing,  or  nothing,  so  far  as  true  liberty  was  con 
cerned,  as  each  State  might  decide  for  itself. 

"  The  character  of  the  American  government  is  to  be  sought 
in  the  characters  of  the  State  governments,"  he  concluded, 
"  which  vary  with  their  respective  policies.  It  is  in  this  way 
that  communities  that  hold  one  half  of  their  numbers  in  do 
mestic  bondage  are  found  tied  up  in  the  same  political  fasces 
with  other  communities  of  the  most  democratic  institutions. 
The  general  government  assures  neither  liberty  of  speech,  lib 
erty  of  conscience,  action,  nor  of  any  thing  else,  except  as  against 
itself;  a  provision  that  is  quite  unnecessary,  as  it  is  purely  a 
government  of  delegated  powers,  and  has  no  authority  to  act  at 
all  on  those  particular  interests." 

"This  is  very  different  from  the  general  impression  in 
Europe,"  observed  Mr.  Sharp ;  "  and  as  I  perceive  I  have  the 
good  fortune  to  be  thrown  into  the  society  of  an  American,  if 
not  an  American  lawyer,  able  to  enlighten  my  ignorance  on 
these  interesting  topics,  I  hope  to  be  permitted,  during  some 
of  the  idle  moments,  of  which  we  are  likely  to  have  many,  to 
profit  by  it." 

The  other  colored,  bowed  to  the  compliment,  but  appeared 
to  hesitate  before  he  answered. 

"  'Tis  not  absolutely  necessary  to  be  an  American  by  birth," 
he  said,  "  as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe,  in  order 
to  understand  the  institutions  of  the  country,  and  I  might  pos 
sibly  mislead  you  were  you  to  fancy  that  a  native  was  your  in 
structor.  I  have  often  been  in  the  country,  however,  if  not 
born  in  it,  and  few  young  men,  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic, 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  115 

have  had  their  attention  pointed,  with  so  much  earnestness,  to 
all  that  affects  it  as  myself.*' 

"  I  was  in  hopes  we  had  the  honor  of  including  you  among 
our  countrymen,"  observed  John  Effingham,  with  evident  dis 
appointment.  "  So  many  young  men  come  abroad  disposed  to 
quarrel  with  foreign  excellences,  of  which  they  know  nothing, 
or  to  concede  so  many  of  our  own,  in  the  true  spirit  of  ser- 
viles,  that  I  was  flattering  myself  I  had  at  last  found  an  ex 
ception." 

Eve  also  felt  regret,  though  she  hardly  avowed  to  herself  the 
reason. 

"He  is  then  an  Englishman  after  all!"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  in 
another  aside. 

"  Why  not  a  German — or  a  Swiss — or  even  a  Russian  ?" 

"  His  English  is  perfect ;  no  continental  could  speak  so  fluent 
ly,  with  such  a  choice  of  words,  so  totally  without  an  accent, 
without  an  effort.  As  Mademoiselle  Viefville  says,  he  does  not 
speak  well  enough  for  a  foreigner." 

Eve  was  silent,  for  she  was  thinking  of  the  singular  manner 
in  which  a  conversation  so  oddly  commenced,  had  brought 
about  an  explanation  on  a  point  that  had  often  given  her  many 
doubts.  Twenty  times  had  she  decided  in  her  own  mind  that 
this  young  man,  whom  she  could  properly  call  neither  stranger 
nor  acquaintance,  was  a  countryman,  and  as  often  had  she  been 
led  to  change  her  opinion.  He  had  now  been  explicit,  she 
thought,  and  she  felt  compelled  to  set  him  down  as  a  European, 
though  not  disposed,  still,  to  believe  he  was  an  Englishman. 
For  this  latter  notion  she  had  reasons  it  might  not  have  done 
to  give  to  a  native  of  the  island  they  had  just  left,  as  she  knew 
to  be  the  fact  with  Mr.  Sharp. 

Music  succeeded  this  conversation,  Eve  having  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  have  the  piano  tuned  before  quitting  port,  an  expe 
dient  we  would  recommend  to  all  who  have  a  regard  for  the 
instrument  that  extends  beyond  its  outside,  or  even  for  their 
own  ears.  John  Effingham  executed  brilliantly  on  the  violin  ; 


116  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

and,  as  it  appeared  on  inquiry,  the  two  younger  gentlemen  per 
formed  respectably  on  the  flute,  flageolet,  and  one  or  two  other 
wind  instruments.  We  shall  leave  them  doing  great  justice  to 
Beethoven,  Rossini,  and  Mayerbeer,  whose  compositions  Mr. 
Dodge  did  not  fail  to  sneer  at  in  the  outer  cabin,  as  affected 
and  altogether  unworthy  of  attention,  and  return  on  deck  to 
the  company  of  the  anxious  master. 

Captain  Truck  had  continued  to  pace  the  deck  moodily  and 
alone  during  the  whole  evening,  and  he  only  seemed  to  come 
to  a  recollection  of  himself  when  the  relief  passed  him  on  his 
way  to  the  wheel,  at  eight  bells.  Inquiring  the  hour,  he  got 
into  the  mizzen  rigging,  with  a  night-glass,  and  swept  the  hori 
zon  in  search  of  the  Foam.  Nothing  could  be  made  out,  the 
darkness  having  settled  upon  the  water  in  a  way  to  circum 
scribe  the  visible  horizon  to  very  narrow  limits. 

"  This  may  do,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  as  he  swung  off  by 
a  rope,  and  alighted  again  on  the  planks  of  the  deck.  Mr. 
Leach  was  summoned,  and  an  order  was  passed  for  the  relieved 
watch  to  remain  on  deck  for  duty. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  first  mate  went  through  the  ship, 
seeing  that  all  the  candles  were  extinguished,  or  that  the  hoods 
were  drawn  over  the  sky-lights,  in  such  a  way  as  to  conceal 
any  rays  that  might  gleam  upwards  from  the  cabin.  At  the 
same  time  attention  was  paid  to  the  binnacle-lamp.  This  pre 
caution  observed,  the  people  went  to  work  to  reduce  the  sail, 
and  in  the  course  of  twenty  minutes  they  had  got  in  the  stud 
ding-sails,  and  all  the  standing  canvas  to  the  topsails,  the  fore- 
course,  and  a  forward  staysail.  The  three  topsails  were  then 
reefed,  with  sundry  urgent  commands  to  the  crew  to  be  active, 
for  "  the  Englishman  was  coming  up  like  a  horse,  all  this  time, 
no  doubt." 

This  much  effected,  the  hands  returned  on  deck,  as  much 
amazed  at  the  several  arrangements  as  if  the  order  had  been  to 
cut  away  the  masts. 

li  If  we  had  a  few  guns,  and  were  a  little  stronger-handed," 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  117 

growled  an  old  salt  to  the  second  mate,  as  he  hitched  up  his 
trousers  and  rolled  over  his  quid,  "I  should  think  the  hard 
one,  aft,  had  been  stripping  for  a  fight ;  but  as  it  is,  we  have 
nothing  to  carry  on  the  war  with,  unless  we  throw  sea-biscuits 
into  the  enemy  S" 

"  Stand  by  to  veer/"  called  out  the  captain,  from  the  quarter 
deck  ;  or.  as  he  pronounced  it,  " ware" 

The  men  sprang  to  the  braces,  and  the  bows  of  the  ship  fell 
off  gradually,  as  the  yards  yielded  slowly  to  the  drag.  In  a 
minute  the  Montauk  was  rolling  dead  before  it,  and  her  broad 
side  came  sweeping  up  to  the  wind  with  the  ship's  head  to  the 
eastward.  This  new  direction  in  the  course  had  the  double 
effect  of  hauling  off  the  land,  and  of  diverging  at  more  than 
right  angles  from  the  line  of  sailing  of  the  Foam,  if  that  ship 
still  continued  in  pursuit.  The  seamen  nodded  their  heads  at 
each  other  in  approbation,  for  all  now  as  well  understood  the 
meaning  of  the  change  as  if  it  had  been  explained  to  them 
verbally. 

The  revolution  on  deck  produced  as  sudden  a  revolution  be 
low.  The  ship  was  no  longer  running  easily  on  an  even  keel, 
but  was  pitching  violently  into  a  head-beating  sea,  and  the 
wind,  which  a  few  minutes  before,  was  scarcely  felt  to  blow, 
was  now  whistling  its  hundred  strains  among  the  cordage. 
Some  sought  their  berths,  among  whom  were  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Mr.  Dodge ;  some  hurried  up  the  stairs  to  learn  the  reason,  and 
all  broke  up  their  avocations  for  the  night. 

Captain  Truck  had  the  usual  number  of  questions  to  answer, 
which  he  did  in  the  following  succinct  and  graphic  manner,  a 
reply  that  we  hope  will  prove  as  satisfactory  to  the  reader,  as 
it  was  made  to  be,  perforce,  satisfactory  to  the  curious  on  board. 

"Had  we  stood  on  an  hour  longer,  gentlemen,  we  should 
have  been  lost  on  the  coast  of  Cornwall !"  he  said,  pithily ; 
"had  we  stopped  where  we  were,  the  sloop-of-war  would  have 
been  down  upon  us  in  twenty  minutes  :  by  changing  the  course, 
in  the  way  you  have  seen,  he  may  get  to  leeward  of  us ;  if  he 


118  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

find  it  out,  he  may  change  his  own  course,  in  the  dark,  being  as 
likely  to  go  wrong  as  to  go  right ;  or  he  may  stand  in,  and  set  up 
the  ribs  of  His  Majesty's  ship  Foam  to  dry  among  the  rocks  of 
the  Lizard,  where  I  hope  all  her  people  will  get  safely  ashore, 
dry  shod." 

After  waiting  the  result  anxiously  for  an  hour,  the  passen 
gers  retired  to  their  rooms  one  by  one;  but  Captain  Truck  did 
not  quit  the  deck  until  the  middle  watch  was  set.  Paul  Blunt 
heard  him  enter  his  stateroom,  which  was  next  to  his  own,  and 
putting  out  his  head,  he  inquired  the  news  above.  The  worthy 
master  had  discovered  something  about  this  young  man  which 
created  a  respect  for  his  nautical  information,  for  he  never  mis 
applied  a  term,  and  he  invariably  answered  all  his  questions 
promptly,  and  with  respect. 

"  Dirtier,  and  dirtier,"  he  said,  in  defiance  of  Mr.  Dodge's 
opinion  of  the  phrase,  pulling  off  his  pee-jacket,  and  laying 
aside  his  sow-wester ;  "  a  cap-full  of  wind,  with  just  enough  driz 
zle  to  take  the  comfort  out  of  a  man,  and  lacker  him  down  like 
a  boot." 

"  The  ship  has  gone  about  ?" 

"  Like  a  dancing-master  with  two  toes.  We  have  got  her 
head  to  the  southward  and  westward  again ;  another  reef  in 
the  topsails"  (which  word  Mr.  Truck  pronounced  tawsails,  with 
great  unction),  "  England  well  under  our  lee,  and  the  Atlantic 
ocean  right  before  us.  Six  hours  on  this  course,  and  we  make 
a  fair  wind  of  it." 

"And  the  sloop 2" 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  119 


CHAPTER   IX. 

"  The  moon  was  now 
Kising  full  orbed,  but  broken  by  a  cloud. 
The  wind  was  hashed,  and  the  sea  mirror-like." 

ITALY. 

MOST  of  the  passengers  appeared  on  deck  soon  after  Saun- 
ders  was  again  heard  rattling  among  his  glasses.  The  day  was 
sufficiently  advanced  to  allow  a  distinct  view  of  all  that  was 
passing,  and  the  wind  had  shifted.  The  change  had  not  oc 
curred  more  than  ten  minutes,  and  as  most  of  the  inmates  of 
the  cabin  poured  up  the  cabin-stairs  nearly  in  a  body,  Mr. 
Leach  had  just  got  through  with  the  necessary  operation  of 
bracing  the  yards  about,  for  the  breeze,  which  was  coming 
stiff,  now  blew  from  the  northwest.  No  land  was  visible,  and 
the  mate  was  just  giving  his  opinion  that  they  were  up  with 
Scilly,  as  Captain  Truck  appeared  in  the  group. 

One  glance  aloft,  and  another  at  the  heavens,  sufficed  to  let 
the  experienced  master  into  all  the  secrets  of  his  present  situa 
tion.  His  next  step  was  to  jump  into  the  rigging,  and  to  take 
a  look  at  the  sea,  in  the  direction  of  the  Lizard.  There,  to  his 
extreme  disappointment,  appeared  a  ship  with  every  thing  set 
that  would  draw,  and  with  a  studding-sail  flapping,  before  it 
could  be  drawn  down,  which  he  knew  in  an  instant  to  be  the 
Foam.  At  this  spectacle,  Mr.  Truck  compressed  his  lips,  and 
made  an  inward  imprecation,  that  it  would  ill  comport  with 
our  notions  of  propriety  to  repeat. 

"  Turn  the  hands  up,  and  shake  out  the  reefs,  sir,"  he  said  coolly 
to  his  mate,  for  it  was  a  standing  rule  of  the  captain's  to  seem 


120  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

calmest  when  lie  was  in  the  greatest  rage.  "  Turn  them  up,  sir, 
and  show  every  rag  that  will  draw,  from  the  truck  to  the  lower 
studding-sail  boom,  and  be  d — d  to  them !" 

On  this  hint  Mr.  Leach  bestirred  himself,  and  the  men  were 
quickly  on  the  yards,  casting  loose  gaskets  and  reef-points. 
Sail  opened  after  sail,  and  as  the  steerage  passengers,  who  could 
show  a  force  of  thirty  or  forty  men,  aided  with  their  strength, 
the  Montauk  was  soon  running  dead  before  the  wind,  under 
every  thing  that  would  draw,  and  with  studding-sails  on  both 
sides.  The  mates  looked  surprised,  the  seamen  cast  inquiring 
glances  aft,  but  Mr.  Truck  lighted  a  cigar. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  after  a  few  philosophical 
whiffs,  "  to  go  to  America  with  yonder  fellow  on  my  weather 
beam  is  quite  out  of  the  question ;  he  would  be  up  with  me, 
and  in  possession,  before  ten  o'clock,  and  my  only  play  is  to 
bring  the  wind  right  over  the  taffrail,  where,  luckily,  we  have 
got  it.  I  think  we  can  bother  him  at  this  sport,  for  your  sharp 
bottoms  are  not  as  good  as  your  kettle-bottoms  in  ploughing  a 
full  furrow.  As  for  bearing  her  canvas,  the  Montauk  will  stand 
it  as  long  as  any  ship  in  King  William's  navy,  before  the  gale. 
And  on  one  thing  you  may  rely ;  I'll  carry  you  all  into  Lisbon, 
before  that  tobacco-hating  rover  shall  carry  you  back  to  Ports 
mouth.  This  is  a  category  to  which  I  will  stick." 

This  characteristic  explanation  served  to  let  the  passengers 
understand  the  real  state  of  the  case.  No  one  remonstrated, 
for  all  preferred  a  race  to  being  taken ;  and  even  the  English- 
men  on  board  began  again  to  take  sides  with  the  vessel  they 
were  in,  and  this  the  more  readily,  as  Captain  Truck  freely  ad 
mitted  that  their  cruiser  was  too  much  for  him  on  every  tack 
but  the  one  he  was  about  to  try.  Mr.  Sharp  hoped  that  they 
might  now  escape,  and  as  for  Sir  George  Templemore,  he  gen 
erously  repeated  his  offer  to  pay,  out  of  his  own  pocket,  all  the 
port-charges  in  any  French,  Spanish,  or  Portuguese  harbor  the 
master  would  enter,  rather  than  see  such  an  outrage  done  a 
foreign  vessel  in  a  time  of  profound  peace. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  121 

The  expedient  of  Captain  Truck  proved  his  judgment,  and 
his  knowledge  of  his  profession.  Within  an  hour  it  was  appa 
rent  that  if  there  was  any  essential  difference  in  the  sailing  of 
the  two  ships,  under  the  present  circumstances,  it  was  slightly 
in  favor  of  the  Montauk.  The  Foam  now  set  her  ensign  for  the 
first  time,  a  signal  that  she  wished  to  speak  the  ship  in  sight. 
At  this  Captain  Truck  chuckled,  for  he  pronounced  it  a  sign 
that  she  was  conscious  she  could  not  get  them  within  range  of 
her  guns. 

"Show  him  the  gridiron,"  cried  the  captain,  briskly;  "it 
will  not  do  to  be  beaten  in  civility  by  a  man  who  has  beaten 
us  already  on  so  many  other  tacks ;  but  keep  all  fast  as  a 
church-door  on  a  week-day." 

This  latter  comparison  was  probably  owing  to  the  circum 
stance  of  the  master's  having  come  from  a  part  of  the  country 
where  all  the  religion  is  compressed  into  the  twenty-four  hours 
that  commence  on  Saturday  night  at  sunset,  and  end  at  sunset 
the  next  day :  at  least,  this  was  his  own  explanation  of  the 
matter.  The  effect  of  success  was  always  to  make  Mr.  Truck 
loquacious,  and  he  now  began  to  tell  many  excellent  anecdotes, 
of  which  he  had  stores,  all  of  events  that  had  happened  to  him 
in  person,  or  of  which  he  had  been  an  eye-witness ;  and  on 
which  his  hearers,  as  Sancho  said,  might  so  certainly  depend 
as  true,  that,  if  they  chose,  they  might  safely  swear  they  had 
seen  them  themselves. 

"  Speaking  of  churches  and  doors,  Sir  George,"  he  said, 
between  the  puffs  of  the  cigar,  "were  you  ever  in  Rhode 
Island?" 

"  Never,  as  this  is  my  first  visit  to  America,  captain." 

"  True  ;  well,  you  will  be  likely  to  go  there,  if  you  go  to  Bos 
ton,  as  it  is  the  best  way ;  unless  you  would  prefer  to  run  over 
Nantucket  shoals,  and  a  hundred  miles  of  ditto,  as  Mr.  Dodge 
calls  it." 

"  Ditter,  captain,  if  you  please — ditter :  it  is  the  continental 
word  for  round-about." 


122  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  The  d — 1  it  is  !  it  is  Avortli  knowing,  however.  And  what 
may  be  the  French  for  pee-jacket?" 

"You  mistake  me,  sir, — ditter,  a  circuit,  or  the  longer  way." 

"  That  is  the  road  we  are  now  travelling,  by  George ! — I  say, 
Leach,  do  you  happen  to  know  that  we  are  making  a  ditter  to 
America  ?" 

"  You  were  speaking  of  a  church,  Captain  Truck,"  politely 
interposed  Sir  George,  who  had  become  rather  intimate  with 
his  fellow-occupant  of  the  stateroom. 

"  I  was  travelling  through  that  State,  a  few  years  since,  on 
my  way  from  Providence  to  New  London,  at  a  time  when  a 
new  road  had  just  been  opened.  It  was  on  a  Sunday,  and  the 
stage — a  four-horse  power,  you  must  know — had  never  yet  run 
through  on  the  Lord's-day.  Well,  we  might  be,  as  it  were,  off 
here  at  right  angles  to  our  course,  and  there  was  a  short  turn 
in  the  road,  as  one  would  say,  out  yonder.  As  we  hove  in 
sight  of  the  turn,  I  saw  a  chap  at  the  mast-head  of  a  tree  ;  down 
he  slid,  and  away  he  went  right  before  it,  towards  a  meeting 
house  two  or  three  cables  length  down  the  road.  We  followed 
at  a  smart  jog,  and  just  before  we  got  the  church  abeam,  out 
poured  the  whole  congregation,  hoise  and  foot,  parson  and 
idlers,  sinners  and  hypocrites,  to  see  the  four-horse  power  go 
past.  Now  this  is  what  I  call  keeping  the  church-door  open  on 
a  Sunday." 

We  might  have  hesitated  about  recording  this  anecdote  of 
the  captain's,  had  we  not  received  an  account  of  the  same  oc 
currence  from  a  quarter  that  left  no  doubt  that  his  version  of 
the  affair  was  substantially  correct.  This  and  a  few  similar 
adventures,  some  of  which  he  invented,  and  all  of  which  he 
swore  were  literal,  enabled  the  worthy  master  to  keep  the 
quarter-deck  in  good-humor,  while  the  ship  was  running  at  the 
rate  of  ten  knots  the  hour  in  a  line  so  far  diverging  from  her 
true  course.  But  the  relief  to  landsmen  is  so  great,  in  general, 
in  meeting  with  a  fair  wind  at  sea,  that  few  are  disposed  to 
quarrel  with  its  consequences.  A  bright  day,  a  steady  ship, 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  123 

the  pleasure  of  motion  as  they  raced  with  the  combing  seas, 
and  the  interest  of  the  chase,  set  every  one  at  ease ;  and  even 
Steadfast  Dodge  was  less  devoured  with  envy,  a  jealousy  of  his 
own  deservings,  and  the  desire  of  management,  than  usual. 
Not  an  introduction  occurred,  and  yet  the  little  world  of  the 
ship  got  to  be  better  acquainted  with  each  other  in  the  course 
of  that  day,  than  would  have  happened  in  months  of  the  usual 
collision  on  land. 

The  Montauk  continued  to  gain  on  her  pursuer  until  the  sun 
set,  when  Captain  Truck  began  once  more  to  cast  about  him 
for  the  chances  of  the  night.  He  knew  that  the  ship  was  run 
ning  into  the  mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  or  at  least  was  fast 
approaching  it,  and  he  bethought  him  of  the  means  of  getting 
to  the  westward.  The  night  promised  to  be  any  thing  but 
dark,  for  though  a  good  many  wild-looking  clouds  were  by  this 
time  scudding  athwart  the  heavens,  the  moon  diffused  a  sort 
of  twilight  gleam  in  the  air.  Waiting  patiently,  however,  until 
the  middle-watch  was  again  called,  he  reduced  sail,  and  hauled 
the  ship  off  to  a  southwest  course,  hoping  by  this  slight  change 
insensibly  to  gain  an  offing  before  the  Foam  was  aware  of  it ; 
a  scheme  that  he  thought  more  likely  to  be  successful,  as  by 
dint  of  sheer  driving  throughout  the  day,  he  had  actually 
caused  the  courses*  of  that  vessel  to  dip  before  the  night  shut  in. 

Even  the  most  vigilant  become  weary  of  watching,  and 
Captain  Truck  was  unpleasantly  disturbed  next  morning  by  an 
alarm  that  the  Foam  was  just  out  of  gun-shot,  coming  up  with 
them  fast.  On  gaining  the  deck,  he  found  the  fact  indisputable. 
Favored  by  the  change  in  the  course,  the  cruiser  had  been 
gradually  gaining  on  the  Montauk  ever  since  the  first  watch 
was  relieved,  and  had  indeed  lessened  the  distance  between  the 
respective  ships  by  two-thirds.  No  remedy  remained  but  to 
try  the  old  expedient  of  getting  the  wind  over  the  taffrail  once 
more,  and  of  showing  all  the  canvas  that  could  be  spread.  As 
like  causes  are  known  to  produce  like  effects,  the  expedient 
brought  about  the  old  results.  The  packet  had  the  best  of  it, 


124  HO  ME  WARD     BOUND. 

and  the  sloop-of-war  slowly  fell  astern.  Mr.  Truck  now  declared 
he  would  make  a  "regular  business  of  it,"  and  accordingly  he 
drove  the  ship  in  that  direction  throughout  the  day,  the  fol 
lowing  night,  and  until  near  noon  of  the  day  which  succeeded, 
varying  his  course  slightly  to  suit  the  wind,  which  he  studiously 
kept  so  near  aft  as  to  allow  the  studding-sails  to  draw  on  both 
sides.  At  meridian,  on  the  fourth  day  out,  the  captain  got  a 
good  observation,  and  ascertained  that  the  ship  was  in  the  lati 
tude  of  Oporto,  with  an  offing  of  less  than  a  degree.  At  this 
time  the  topgallant-sails  of  the  Foam  might  be  discovered  from 
the  deck,  resembling  a  boat  clinging  to  the  watery  horizon. 
As  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  run  into  port  in  prefer 
ence  to  being  overhauled,  the  master  had  kept  so  near  the 
land,  with  an  intention  of  profiting  by  his  position,  in  the  event 
of  any  change  favoring  his  pursuers ;  but  he  now  believed  that 
at  sunset  he  should  be  safe  in  finally  shaping  his  course  for 
America. 

"  There  must  be  double-fortified  eyes  aboard  that  fellow,  to 
see  what  we  are  about  at  this  distance,  when  the  night  is  once 
shut  in,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Leach,  who  seconded  all  his  orders 
with  obedient  zeal,  "  and  we  will  watch  our  moment  to  slip  out 
fairly  into  the  great  prairie,  and  then  we  shall  discover  who 
best  knows  the  trail !  You'll  be  for  trotting  off  to  the  prairies, 
Sir  George,  as  soon  as  we  get  in,  and  for  trying  your  hand  at 
the  buffaloes,  like  all  the  rest  of  them.  Ten  years  since,  if  an 
Englishman  came  to  look  at  us,  he  was  afraid  of  being  scalped 
in  Broadway,  and  now  he  is  never  satisfied  unless  he  is  astraddle 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  first  fortnight.  I  take  over  lots 
of  cockney-hunters  every  summer,  who  just  get  a  shot  at  a 
grizzly  bear  or  two,  or  at  an  antelope,  and  come  back  in  time 
for  the  opening  of  Drury  Lane." 

"  Should  we  not  be  more  certain  of  accomplishing  your 
plans,  by  seeking  refuge  in  Lisbon  for  a  day  or  two  ?  I  confess 
now  I  should  like  to  see  Lisbon ;  and  as  for  the  port-charges, 
I  would  rather  pay  them  twice,  than  that  this  poor  man  should 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  125 

be  torn  from  his  wife.  Qn  this  point  I  hope,  Captain  Truck,  I 
have  made  myself  sufficiently  explicit." 

Captain  Truck  shook  the  baronet  heartily  by  the  hand,  as  he 
always  did  when  this  offer  was  renewed,  declaring  that  his  feel 
ings  did  him  honor. 

"  Never  fear  for  Davis,"  he  said.  "  Old  Grab  shall  not  have 
him  this  tack,  nor  the  Foam  neither.  I'll  throw  him  overboard 
before  such  a  disgrace  befall  us  or  him.  Well,  this  leech  has 
driven  us  from  the  old  road,  and  nothing  now  remains  but  to 
make  the  southern  passage,  unless  the  wind  prevail  at  south." 

The  Montauk,  in  truth,  had  not  much  varied  from  a  course 
that  was  once  greatly  in  favor  with  the  London  ships,  Lisbon 
and  New  York  being  nearly  in  the  same  parallel  of  latitude,  and 
the  currents,  if  properly  improved,  often  favoring  the  run.  It  is 
true,  the  Montauk  had  kept  closer  in  with  the  continent  by  a 
long  distance  than  was  usual,  even  for  the  passage  he  had 
named ;  but  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  chase  had  left 
no  alternative,  as  the  master  explained  to  his  listeners. 

"  It  was  a  coasting  voyage,  or  a  tow  back  to  Portsmouth, 
Sir  George,"  he  said,  "  and  of  the  two,  I  know  you  like  the 
Montauk  too  well  to  wish  to  be  quit  of  her  so  soon." 

To  this  the  baronet  gave  a  willing  assent,  protesting  that  his 
feelings  had  got  so  much  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the  vessel  he 
was  in,  that  he  would  cheerfully  forfeit  a  thousand  pounds  rather 
than  be  overtaken.  The  master  assured  him  that  was  just  what 
he  liked,  and  swore  that  he  was  the  sort  of  passenger  he  most 
delighted  in. 

"  When  a  man  puts  his  foot  on  the  deck  of  a  ship,  Sir  George, 
he  should  look  upon  her  as  his  home,  his  church,  his  wife  and 
children,  his  uncles  and  aunts,  and  all  the  other  lumber  ashore. 
This  is  the  sentiment  to  make  seamen.  Now,  I  entertain  a 
greater  regard  for  the  shortest  ropeyarn  aboard  this  ship,  than 
for  the  topsail-sheets  or  best  bower  of  any  other  vessel.  It  is 
like  a  man's  loving  his  own  finger,  or  toe,  before  any  other  per 
son's.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  one  should  love  his  neighbor 


]2G  HOME  WARD      BOUND. 

as  well  as  himself;  but  for  my  part,  I  love  my  ship  better  than 
my  neighbor's,  or  my  neighbor  himself;  and  I  fancy,  if  the 
truth  were  known,  my  neighbor  pays  me  back  in  the  same 
coin  !  For  my  part,  I  like  a  thing  because  it  is  mine." 

A  little  before  dark  the  head  of  the  Montauk  was  inclined 
towards  Lisbon,  as  if  her  intention  was  to  run  in  ;  but  the  mo 
ment  the  dark  spot  that  pointed  out  the  position  of  the  Foam 
was  lost  in  the  haze  of  the  horizon,  Captain  Truck  gave  the 
order  to  " ware"  and  sail  was  made  to  the  west-southwest. 

Most  of  the  passengers  felt  an  intense  curiosity  to  know  the 
state  of  things  on  the  following  morning,  and  all  the  men 
among  them  were  dressed  and  on  deck  just  as  the  day  began 
to  break.  The  wind  had  been  fresh  and  steady  all  night,  and 
as  the  ship  had  been  kept  with  her  yards  a  little  checked,  and 
topmast  studding-sails  set,  the  officers  reported  her  to  be  at  least 
a  hundred  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  spot  where  she  veered. 
The  reader  will  imagine  the  disappointment  the  latter  expe 
rienced,  then,  when  they  beheld  the  Foam  a  little  on  their 
weather-quarter,  edging  away  for  them  as  assiduously  as  she 
had  been  hauling  up  for  them  the  night  they  sailed  from  Ports 
mouth,  distant  little  more  than  a  league ! 

"  This  is,  indeed,  extraordinary  perseverance,"  said  Paul 
Blunt  to  Eve,  at  whose  side  he  was  standing  at  the  moment  the 
fact  was  ascertained,  "  and  I  think  our  captain  might  do  well 
to  heave-to  and  ascertain  its  cause." 

"I  hope  not,"  cried  his  companion  with  vivacity.  "I  con 
fess  to  an  esprit  de  corps,  and  a  gallant  determination  to  '  see  it 
out,'  as  Mr.  Leach  styles  his  own  resolution.  One  does  not  like 
to  be  followed  about  the  ocean  in  this  manner,  unless  it  be  for 
the  interest  it  gives  the  voyage.  After  all,  how  much  better  is 
this  than  dull  solitude,  and  what  a  zest  it  gives  to  the  monotony 
of  the  ocean !'' 

"Do  you  then  find  the  ocean  a  scene  of  monotony  ?" 

"  Such  it  has  oftener  appeared  to  me  than  any  thing  else,  and 
I  give  it  a  fair  trial,  having  never  le  mal  de  mer.  But  I  acquit 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  127 

it  of  this  sin  now ;  for  the  interest  of  a  chase,  in  reasonably 
good  weather,  is  quite  equal  to  that  of  a  horse-race,  which  is  a 
thing  I  delight  in.  Even  Mr.  John  Effingham  can  look  radiant 
under  its  excitement." 

"  And  when  this  is  the  case,  he  is  singularly  handsome ;  a 
nobler  outline  of  face  is  seldom  seen  than  that  of  Mr.  John 
Effingham." 

"  He  has  a  noble  outline  of  soul,  if  he  did  but  know  it  him 
self,"  returned  Eve,  warmly :  "I  love  no  one  as  much  as  him,  with 
the  exception  of  my  father,  and  as  Mademoiselle  Viefville  would 
say,  pour  cause" 

The  young  man  could  have  listened  all  day,  but  Eve  smiled, 
bowed  gracefully,  though  with  a  glistening  eye,  and  hastily  left 
the  deck,  conscious  of  having  betrayed  some  of  her  most  cher 
ished  feelings  to  one  who  had  no  claim  to  share  them. 

Captain  Truck,  while  vexed  to  his  heart's  core,  or,  as  he  ex 
pressed  it  himself,  "  struck  aback,  like  an  old  lady  shot  off  a 
hand-sled  in  sliding  down  hill,"  was  prompt  in  applying  the  old 
remedy  to  the  evil.  The  Montauk  was  again  put  before  the 
wind,  sail  was  made,  and  the  fortunes  of  the  chase  were  once 
more  cast  on  the  "  play  of  the  ship." 

The  commander  of  the  Foam  certainly  deprecated  this  change, 
for  it  was  hardly  made  before  he  set  his  ensign,  and  fired  a  gun. 
But  of  these  signals  no  other  notice  was  taken  than  to  show  a 
flag  in  return,  when  the  captain  and  his  mates  proceeded  to  get 
the  bearings  of  the  sloop-of-war.  Ten  minutes  showed  they 
were  gaining ;  twenty  did  better ;  and  in  an  hour  she  was  well 
on  the  quarter. 

Another  day  of  strife  succeeded,  or  rather  of  pure  sailing, 
for  not  a  rope  was  started  on  board  the  Montauk,  the  wind  still 
standing  fresh  and  steady.  The  sloop  made  many  signals,  all 
indicating  a  desire  to  speak  the  Montauk,  but  Captain  Truck 
declared  himself  too  experienced  a  navigator  to  be  caught  by 
bunting,  and  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  stop  and  chat  by  the  way. 

"  Vattel  has  laid  down  no  law  for  such  a  piece  of  complai- 


128  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

sance,  in  a  time  of  profound  peace.  I  am  not  to  be  caught  by 
that  category." 

The  result  may  be  anticipated  from  what  has  been  already 
related.  The  two  ships  kept  before  the  wind  until  the  Foam 
was  again  far  astern,  and  the  observations  of  Captain  Truck 
told  him,  he  was  as  far  south  as  the  Azores.  In  one  of  these 
islands  he  was  determined  to  take  refuge,  provided  he  was  not 
favored  by  accident,  for  going  farther  south  was  out  of  the 
question,  unless  absolutely  driven  to  it.  Calculating  his  dis 
tance,  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  out,  he  found  that  he 
might  reach  an  anchorage  at  Pico,  before  the  sloop-of-war  could 
close  with  him,  even  allowing  the  necessity  of  hauling  up  again 
by  the  wind. 

But  Providence  had  ordered  differently.  Towards  midnight, 
the  breeze  almost  failed  and  became  baffling,  and  when  the  day 
dawned  the  officer  of  the  watch  reported  that  it  was  ahead. 
The  pursuing  ship,  though  still  in  sight,  was  luckily  so  far 
astern  and  to  leeward  as  to  prevent  any  danger  from  a  visit  by 
boats,  and  there  was  leisure  to  make  the  preparations  that  might 
become  necessary  on  the  springing  up  of  a  new  breeze.  Of  the 
speedy  occurrence  of  such  a  change  there  was  now  every  symp 
tom,  the  heavens  lighting  up  at  the  northwest,  a  quarter  from 
which  the  genius  of  the  storms  mostly  delights  in  making  a 
display  of  his  power. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


CHAPTER    X. 

"  I  come  with  mightier  things  ; 
Who  calls  me  silent  ?    I  have  many  tones— 
The  dark  sky  thrills  with  low  mysterious  moans, 
Borno  on  my  sweeping  winds." 

MES.  HEMANS. 

THE  awaking  of  the  winds  on  the  ocean  is  frequently  at 
tended  with  signs  and  portents  as  sublime  as  any  the  fancy  can 
conceive.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  breeze  that  had  pre 
vailed  so  steadily  for  a  week  was  succeeded  by  light  baffling 
puffs,  as  if,  conscious  of  the  mighty  powers  of  the  air  that  were 
assembling  in  their  strength,  these  inferior  blasts  were  hurrying 
to  and  fro  for  a  refuge.  The  clouds,  too,  were  whirling  about 
in  uncertain  eddies,  many  of  the  heaviest  and  darkest  descend 
ing  so  low  along  the  horizon,  that  they  had  an  appearance  of 
settling  on  the  waters  in  quest  of  repose.  But  the  waters  them 
selves  were  unnaturally  agitated.  The  billows,  no  longer  follow 
ing  each  other  in  long  regular  waves,  were  careering  upward, 
like  fiery  coursers  suddenly  checked  in  their  mad  career.  The 
usual  order  of  the  eternally  unquiet  ocean  was  lost  in  a  species 
of  chaotic  tossings  of  the  element,  the  seas  heaving  themselves 
upward,  without  order,  and  frequently  without  visible  cause. 
This  was  the  reaction  of  the  currents,  and  of  the  influence  of 
breezes  still  older  than  the  last.  Not  the  least  fearful  symptom 
of  the  hour  was  the  terrific  calmness  of  the  air  amid  such  a 
scene  of  menacing  wildness.  Even  the  ship  came  into  the  pic 
ture  to  aid  the  impression  of  intense  expectation  ;  for  with  her 
canvas  reduced,  she,  too,  seemed  to  have  lost  that  instinct  which 

6* 


130  H  O  M  K  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

had  so  lately  guided  her  along  the  trackless  waste,  and  was 
"  wallowing,"  nearly  helpless,  among  the  confused  waters.  Still 
she  was  a  beautiful  and  a  grand  object,  perhaps  more  so  at  that 
moment  than  at  any  other ;  for  her  vast  and  naked  spars,  her 
well-supported  masts,  and  all  the  ingenious  and  complicated 
hamper  of  the  machine,  gave  her  a  resemblance  to  some  sinewy 
and  gigantic  gladiator,  pacing  the  arena,  in  waiting  for  the  con 
flict  that  was  at  hand. 

"This  is  an  extraordinary  scene,"  said  Eve,  who  clung  to  her 
father's  arm,  as  she  gazed  around  her  equally  in  admiration  and 
in  awe ;  "  a  dreadful  exhibition  of  the  sublimity  of  nature  !" 

"  Although  accustomed  to  the  sea,"  returned  Mr.  Blunt,  u  I 
have  witnessed  these  ominous  changes  but  twice  before,  and  I 
think  this  the  grandest  of  them  all." 

"  Were  the  others  followed  by  tempests  ?"  inquired  the  anx 
ious  parent. 

"  One  brought  a  tremendous  gale,  while  the  other  passed 
away  like  a  misfortune  of  which  we  get  a  near  view,  but  are 
permitted  to  escape  the  effects." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  wish  such  to  be  entirely  our  present 
fortune,"  rejoined  Eve,  "  for  there  is  so  much  sublimity  in  this 
view  of  the  ocean  unaroused,  that  I  feel  desirous  of  seeing  it 
when  aroused." 

"  We  are  not  in  the  hurricane  latitudes,  or  hurricane  months," 
resumed  the  young  man,  "  and  it  is  not  probable  that  there  is 
any  thing  more  in  reserve  for  us  than  a  hearty  gale  of  wind, 
which  may,  at  least,  help  us  to  get  rid  of  yonder  troublesome 
follower." 

"  Even  that  I  do  not  wish,  provided  he  will  let  us  continue 
the  race  on  our  proper  route.  A  chase  across  the  Atlantic 
would  be  something  to  enjoy  at  the  moment,  gentlemen,  and 
something  to  talk  of  in  after  life." 

"  I  wonder  if  such  a  thing  be  possible  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sharp ; 
"  it  would  indeed  be  an  incident  to  recount  to  another  genera 
tion  !" 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  131 

"  There  is  little  probability  of  our  witnessing  such  an  exploit," 
Mr.  Blunt  remarked,  "  for  gales  of  wind  on  the  ocean  have  the 
same  separating  influence  on  consorts  of  the  sea,  that  domestic 
gales  have  on  consorts  of  the  land.  Nothing  is  more  difficult 
than  to  keep  ships  and  fleets  in  sight  of  each  other  in  very 
heavy  weather,  unless,  indeed,  those  of  the  best  qualities  are 
disposed  to  humor  those  of  the  worst." 

"  I  know  not  which  may  be  called  the  best,  or  which  the 
worst,  in  this  instance,  for  our  tormentor  appears  to  be  as  much 
better  than  ourselves  in  some  particulars,  as  we  are  better  than 
he  in  others.  If  the  humoring  is  to  come  from  our  honest  cap 
tain,  it  will  be  some  such  humoring  as  the  spoiled  child  gets 
from  a  capricious  parent  in  moments  of  anger." 

Mr.  Truck  passed  the  group  at  that  instant,  and  heard  his 
name  coupled  with  the  word  honest,  in  the  mouth  of  Eve,  though 
he  lost  the  rest  of  the  sentence. 

"Thank  you  for  the  compliment,  my  dear  young  lady,"  he 
said ;  "  and  I  wish  I  could  persuade  Captain  Somebody,  of  his 
Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Foam,  to  be  of  the  same  way  of  think 
ing.  It  is  all  because  he  will  not  fancy  me  honest  in  the  article 
of  tobacco,  that  he  has  got  the  Montauk  down  here,  on  the 
Spanish  coast,  where  the  man  who  built  her  would  not  know 
her ;  so  unnatural  and  unseemly  is  it  to  catch  a  London  liner 
so  far  out  of  her  track.  I  shall  have  to  use  double  care  to  get 
the  good  craft  home  again." 

"  And  why  this  particular  difficulty,  captain  ?"  Eve,  who  was 
amused  with  Mr.  Truck's  modes  of  speech,  pleasantly  inquired. 
"Is  it  not  equally  easy  to  go  from  one  part  of  the  ocean  as 
from  another?" 

"  Equally  easy  !  Bless  you,  my  dear  young  lady,  you  never 
made  a  more  capital  mistake  in  your  life.  Do  you  imagine  it 
is  as  easy  to  go  from  London  to  New  York,  now,  as  to  go  from 
New  York  to  London  ?" 

"  I  am  so  ignorant  as  to  have  made  this  ridiculous  mistake, 
if  mistake  it  bo  ;  nor  do  I  now  see  why  it  should  be  otherwise." 


132  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  Simply  because  it  is  up-hill,  ma'am.  As  for  our  position 
here  to  the  eastward  of  the  Azores,  the  difficulty  is  soon  ex 
plained.  By  dint  of  coaxing  I  had  got  the  good  old  ship  so  as 
to  know  every  inch  of  the  road  on  the  northern  passage,  and 
now  I  shall  be  obliged  to  wheedle  her  along  on  a  new  route, 
like  a  shy  horse  getting  through  a  new  stable-door.  One  might 
as  well  think  of  driving  a  pig  from  his  sty,  as  to  get  a  ship  out 
of  her  track." 

"  We  trust  to  you  to  do  all  this  and  much  more  at  need. 
But  to  what  will  these  grand  omens  lead  ?  Shall  we  have  a 
gale,  or  is  so  much  magnificent  menacing  to  be  taken  as  an 
empty  threat  of  Nature's  ?" 

"  That  we  shall  know  in  the  course  of  the  day,  Miss  Effing- 
ham,  though  Nature  is  no  bully,  and  seldom  threatens  in  vain. 
There  is  nothing  more  curious  to  study,  or  which  needs  a  nicer 
eye  to  detect,  than  your  winds." 

"  Of  the  latter  I  am  fully  persuaded,  captain,  for  they  are 
called  the  '  viewless  winds,'  you  will  remember,  and  the  great 
est  authority  we  possess,  speaks  of  them  as  being  quite  beyond 
the  knowledge  of  man :  '  That  we  may  hear  the  sound  of  the 
wind,  but  cannot  tell  whence  it  cometh,  or  whither  it  goeth.' " 

"  I  do  not  remember  the  writer  you  mean,  my  dear  young 
lady,"  returned  Mr.  Truck,  quite  innocently;  "but  he  was  a 
sensible  fellow,  for  I  believe  Vattel  has  never  yet  dared  to 
grapple  with  the  winds.  There  are  people  who  fancy  the 
weather  is  foretold  in  the  almanac  ;  but,  according  to  my 
opinion,  it  is  safer  to  trust  a  rheumatis'  of  two  or  three  years' 
standing.  A  good,  well-established,  old-fashioned  rheumatis' — 
I  say  nothing  of  your  new-fangled  diseases,  like  the  cholera, 
and  varioloid,  and  animal  magnitudes — but  a  good  old-fashion 
ed  rheumatis',  such  as  people  used  to  have  when  I  was  a  boy, 
is  as  certain  a  barometer  as  that  which  is  at  this  moment  hang 
ing  up  in  the  coach-house  here,  within  two  fathoms  of  the  very 
spot  where  we  are  standing.  I  once  had  a  rheumatis'  that  I 
set  much  store  bv,  for  it  would  let  me  know  when  to  look  oul 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  133 

for  easterly  weather,  quite  MS  infallibly  as  any  instrument  I  ever 
sailed  with.  I  never  told  you  the  story  of  the  old  Connecticut 
horse-jockey,  and  the  typhoon,  I  believe ;  and  as  we  are  doing 
nothing  but  waiting  for  the  weather  to  make  up  its  mind — 

"  The  weather  to  make  up  its  mind  !"  exclaimed  Eve,  look 
ing  around  her  in  awe  at  the  sublime  and  terrific  grandeur  of 
the  ocean,  of  the  heavens,  and  of  the  pent  and  moody  air ;  "  is 
there  an  uncertainty  in  this  ?" 

"  Lord  bless  you  !  my  dear  young  lady,  the  weather  is  often 
as  uncertain,  and  as  undecided,  and  as  hard  to  please,  too,  as 
an  old  girl  who  gets  sudden  offers  on  the  same  day,  from  a 
widower  with  ten  children,  an  attorney  with  one  leg,  and  the 
parson  of  the  parish.  Uncertain,  indeed  !  Why  I  have  known 
the  weather  in  this  grandiloquent  condition  for  a  whole  day. 
Mr.  Dodge,  there,  will  tell'  you  it  is  making  up  its  mind  which 
way  it  ought  to  blow,  to  be  popular ;  so,  as  we  have  nothing 
better  to  do,  Mr.  Effingham,  I  will  tell  you  the  story  about  my 
neighbor,  the  horse-jockey.  Hauling  yards  when  there  is  no 
wind,  is  like  playing  on  a  Jew's-harp,  at  a  concert  of  trom 
bones." 

Mr.  Effingham  made  a  complaisant  sign  of  assent,  and  press 
ed  the  arm  of  the  excited  Eve  for  patience. 

"  You  must  know,  gentlemen,"  the  captain  commenced, 
looking  round  to  collect  as  many  listeners  as  possible, — for  he 
excessively  disliked  lecturing  to  small  audiences,  when  he  had 
anything  to  say  that  he  thought  particularly  clever, —  "you 
must  know  that  we  had  formerly  many  craft  that  went  between 
the  river  and  the  islands — 

"The  river?"  interrupted  the  amused  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  Certain  ;  the  Connecticut,  I  mean  ;  we  all  call  it  the  river 
down  our  way — between  the  river  and  the  West  Indies,  with 
horses,  cattle,  and  other  knick-knacks  of  that  description. 
Among  others  was  old  Joe  Bunk,  who  had  followed  the  trade 
in  a  high-decked  brig  for  some  twenty-three  years,  he  and  the 
brig  having  grown  old  in  company,  like  man  and  wife.  About 


134  H  O  M  E  W  A  K  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

forty  years  since,  our  river  ladies  began  to  be  tired  of  their 
bohea,  and  as  there  was  a  good  deal  said  in  favor  of  souchong 
in  those  days,  an  excitement  was  got  up  on  the  subject,  as  Mr. 
Dodge  calls  it,  and  it  was  determined  to  make  an  experiment 
in  the  new  quality,  before  they  dipped  fairly  into  the  trade. 
Well,  what  do  you  suppose  was  done  in  the  premises,  as  Vattel 
says,  my  dear  young  lady  ?" 

Eve's  eyes  were  still  on  the  grand  and  portentous  aspect  of 
the  heavens,  but  she  civilly  answered — 

"  No  doubt  they  sent  to  a  shop  and  purchased  a  sample." 

"  Not  they ;  they  knew  too  much  for  that,  since  any  rogue 
of  a  grocer  might  cheat  them.  When  the  excitement  had  got 
a  little  headway  on  it,  they  formed  a  tea  society,  with  the 
parson's  wife  for  presidentess,  and  her  oldest  daughter  for  secre 
tary.  In  this  way  they  went  to  work,  until  the  men  got  into 
the  fever  too,  and  a  project  was  set  a-foot  to  send  a  craft  to 
China  for  a  sample  of  what  they  wanted." 

"  China  !"  exclaimed  Eve,  this  time  looking  the  captain  fairly 
in  the  face. 

"  China,  certain ;  it  lies  off  hereaway,  you  know,  round  on 
the  other  side  of  the  earth.  Well,  whom  should  they  choose 
to  go  on  the  errand  but  old  Joe  Bunk.  The  old  man  had 
been  so  often  to  the  islands  and  back,  without  knowing  any 
thing  of  navigation,  they  thought  he  was  just  their  man,  as- 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  losing  him." 

"  One  would  think  he  was  the  very  man  to  get  lost,"  ob 
served  Mr.  Effingham,  while  the  captain  fitted  a  fresh  cigar ; 
for  smoke  he  would,  and  did,  in  any  company,  that  was  out  of 
the  cabin,  although  he  always  professed  a  readiness  to  cease,  if 
any  person  disliked  the  fragrance  of  tobacco. 

"  Not  he,  sir;  he  was  just  as  well  off  in  the  Indian  Ocean  as 
he  would  be  here,  for  he  knew  nothing  about  either.  Well, 
Joe  fitted  up  the  brig;  the  Seven  Dollies  was  her  name;  for 
you  must  know,  we  had  seven  ladies  in  the  town,  who  were 
called  Dollv,  and  they  each  of  them  used  to  send  a  colt,  or  a 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  135 

steer,  or  some  other  delicate  article  to  the  islands  by  Joe,  when 
ever  he  went;  so  he  fitted  up  the  Seven  Dollies,  hoisted  in  his 
dollars,  and  made  sail.  The  last  that  was  seen  or  heard  of  the 
old  man  for  eight  months,  was  off  Montauk,  where  he  was 
fallen  in  with,  two  days  out,  steering  southeasterly  by  com 
pass." 

"  I  should  think,"  observed  John  Effingham,  who  began  to 
arouse  himself  as  the  story  proceeded,  "that  Mrs.  Bunk  must 
have  been  very  uneasy  all  this  time  ?" 

"  Not  she ;  she  stuck  to  the  bohea  in  hopes  the  souchong 
would  arrive  before  the  restoration  of  the  Jews.  Arrive  it  did, 
sure  enough,  at  the  end  of  eight  months,  and  a  capital  adven 
ture  it  proved  for  all  concerned.  Old  Joe  got  a  great  name  in 
the  river  for  the  exploit,  though  how  he  got  to  China  no  one 
could  say,  or  how  he  got  back  again ;  or,  for  a  long  time,  how 
he  got  the  huge  heavy  silver  tea-pot,  he  brought  home  with 
him)' 

"  A  silver  tea-pot  ?" 

"  Exactly  that  article.  At  last  the  truth  came  to  be  known; 
for  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  hide  any  thing  of  that  nature 
down  our  way ;  it  is  aristocratic,  as  Mr.  Dodge  says,  to  keep  a 
secret.  At  first  they  tried  Joe  with  all  sorts  of  questions,  but 
he  gave  them  'guess'  for  'guess.'  Then  people  began  to  talk, 
and  finally  it  was  fairly  whispered  that  the  old  man  had  stolen 
the  tea-pot.  This  brought  him  before  the  meeting. — Law  was 
out  of  the  question,  you  will  understand,  as  there  was  no  evi 
dence  ;  but  the  meeting  don't  stick  much  at  particulars,  pro 
vided  people  talk  a  good  deal." 

"  And  the  result  ?"  asked  John  Effingham  :  "  I  suppose  the 
parish  took  the  tea-pot  and  left  Joe  the  grounds." 

"  You  are  as  far  out  of  the  way  as  we  are  here  down  on  the 
coast  of  Spain  !  The  trith  is  just  this.  The  Seven  Dollies  was 
lying  among  the  rest  of  them,  at  anchor,  below  Canton,  with 
the  weather  as  fine  as  young  girls  love  to  see  it  in  May,  when 
Joe  began  to  get  down  his  yards,  to  house  his  masts,  and  to 


136  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

send  out  all  his  spare  anchors.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  get 
two  hawsers  fastened  to  a  junk  that  had  grounded  a  little  ahead 
of  him.  This  made  a  talk  among  the  captains  of  the  vessels, 
and  some  came  on  board  to  ask  the  reason.  Joe  told  them  he 
was  getting  ready  for  the  typhoon ;  but  when  they  inquired  his 
reasons  for  believing  there  was  to  be  a  typhoon  at  all,  Joe  looked 
solemn,  shook  his  head,  and  said  he  had  reasons  enough,  but 
they  were  his  own.  Had  he  been  explicit,  he  would  have  been 
laughed  at,  but  the  sight  of  an  old  gray-headed  man,  who  had 
been  at  sea  forty  years,  getting  ready  in  this  serious  manner,  set 
the  others  at  work  too ;  for  ships  follow  each  other's  movements, 
like  sheep  running  through  a  breach  in  the  fence.  Well,  that 
night  the  typhoon  came  in  earnest,  and  it  blew  so  hard,  that 
Joe  Bunk  said  he  could  see  the  houses  in  the  moon,  all  the  air 
having  blown  out  of  the  atmosphere." 

"  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  the  teapot,  Captain  Truck  ?" 

"It  is  the  life  and  soul  of  it.  The  captains  in  port  were  so 
delighted  with  Joe's  foreknowledge,  that  they  clubbed,  and  pre 
sented  him  this  pot  as  a  testimony  of  their  gratitude  and  es 
teem.  He'd  got  to  be  popular  among  them,  Mr.  Dodge,  and 
that  was  the  way  they  proved  it." 

"  But,  pray,  how  did  he  know  the  storm  was  approaching  ?" 
asked  Eve,  whose  curiosity  had  been  awakened  in  spite  of  her 
self.  "  It  could  not  have  been  that  his  '  foreknowledge'  was 
supernatural." 

"  That  no  one  can  say,  for  Joe  was  presbyterian-built,  as  we 
say,  kettle-bottomed,  and  stowed  well.  The  truth  was  not  dis 
covered  until  ten  years  afterwards,  when  the  old  fellow  got  to 
be  a  regular  cripple,  what  between  rheumatis',  old  age,  and 
steaming.  One  day  he  had  an  attack  of  the  first  complaint, 
and  in  one  of  its  most  severe  paroxysms,  when  nature  is  apt  to 
wince,  he  roared  three  times,  *  a  typhoon  !  a  typhoon !  a  ty 
phoon  1'  and  the  murder  was  out.  Sure  enough,  the  next  day 
we  had  a  regular  northeaster ;  but  old  Joe  got  no  sign  of  pop 
ularity  that  time.  And  now,  when  you  get  to  America,  gentle- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  137 

men  and  ladies,  you  will  be  able  to  say  you  have  heard  the 
story  of  Joe  Bunk  and  his  teapot." 

Thereupon  Captain  Truck  took  two  or  three  hearty  whiffs  of 
the  cigar,  turned  his  face  upwards,  and  permitted  the  smoke  to 
issue  forth  in  a  continued  stream  until  it  was  exhausted,  but 
still  keeping  his  head  raised  in  the  inconvenient  position  it  had 
taken.  The  eye  of  the  master,  fastened  in  this  manner  on 
something  aloft,  was  certain  to  draw  other  eyes  in  the  same 
direction,  and  in  a  few  seconds  all  around  him  were  gazing  in 
the  same  way,  though  none  but  himself  could  tell  why. 

"  Turn  up  the  watch  below,  Mr.  Leach,"  Captain  Truck  at 
length  called  out,  and  Eve  observed  that  he  threw  away  the 
cigar,  although  a  fresh  one  ;  a  proof,  as  she  fancied,  that  he  was 
preparing  for  duty. 

The  people  were  soon  at  their  places,  and  an  effort  was  made 
to  get  the  ship's  head  round  to  the  southward.  Although  the 
frightful  stillness  of  the  atmosphere  rendered  the  manoeuvre  dif 
ficult,  it  succeeded  in  the  end,  by  profiting  by  the  passing  and 
fitful  currents,  that  resembled  so  many  sighings  of  the  air.  The 
men  were  then  sent  on  the  yards,  to  furl  all  the  canvas,  with 
the  exception  of  the  three  topsails  and  the  fore-course,  most  of 
it  having  been  merely  hauled  up  to  await  the  result.  All  those 
who  had  ever  been  at  sea  before,  saw  in  these  preparations  proof 
that  Captain  Truck  expected  the  change  would  be  sudden  and 
severe :  still,  as  he  betrayed  no  uneasiness,  they  hoped  his 
measures  were  merely  those  of  prudence.  Mr.  Effingham  could 
not  refrain  from  inquiring,  however,  if  there  existed  any  imme 
diate  motives  for  the  preparations  that  were  so  actively,  though 
not  hurriedly,  making. 

"  This  is  no  affair  for  the  rheumatis',"  returned  the  facetious 
master,  "  for,  look  you  here,  my  worthy  sir,  and  you,  my  dear 
young  lady," — this  was  a  sort  of  parental  familiarity  the  honest 
Jack  fancied  he  had  a  right  to  take  with  all  his  unmarried  female 
passengers,  in  virtue  of  his  office,  and  of  his  being  a  bachelor 
drawing  hard  upon  sixty  ; — "  look  you  here,  my  dear  young 


188  H  O  M  K  \V    A   K  1>      II  O  I'    N   l>  . 

lady,  and  YOU,  too,  Ma'amsellc,  for  you  run  understand  (ho 
clouds,  1  take  it,  it'  they  are  not  French  clouds;  do  you  not  see 
the  mnnnor  in  which  those  black-looking  rascals  are  putting 
their  heads  together!  They  are  plotting  something  quite  in 
their  own  wnv,  I'll  warrant  yon." 

"Tho  olonds  aro  huddling,  and  rolling  ovor  oaoh  other,  cer 
tainly,"  returned  Kvo,  who  had  boon  struck  with  tho  wild  beauty 
of  their  evolutions,  unnd  u  noble,  though  tearful  picture*  they 
present ;  but  I  do  not  understand  the  particular  meaning  of  it,  if 
there  he  any  hidden  omen  in  their  airy  flights.*' 

u  No  rheumatis'  alxnit you,  youn^  lady,"  said  the  captain,  jocu 
larly  ;  u  too  young,  and  handsome,  and  too  nuulcrn,  too,  I  dare 
say,  for  that  old-fashioned  complaint,  Uut  on  one  category 
you  may  rely,  and  that  is,  that  nothing  in  nature  conspires  with 
out  an  object" 

"  I  nit  1  do  not  think  yapor  whirling  in  a  current  of  air  is  a 
conspiracy,"  answered  Kve,  laughing,  "  though  it  may  bo  a 
category." 

"Perhaps  not, — who  knows,  however!  for  it  is  as  easy  to 
suppose  that  objects  understand  each  other,  as  that  horses  and 
dogs  understand  each  other.  We  know  nothing  about  it,  and, 
therefore,  it  behooves  us  to  say  nothing.  If  mankind  con 
versed  only  of  the  things  they  understood,  half  the  words  might 
be  struck  out  of  the  dictionaries.  Hut,  as  1  was  remarking, 
those  clouds,  you  can  see,  are  getting  together,  and  are  making 
ready  tor  a  start,  since  here  they  will  not  be  able  to  stay  much 
longer.1' 

"  And  what  will  compel  them  to  disappear?" 

"Ho  me  the  favor  to  turn  your  eyes  here,  to  the  nor'west. 
You  see  an  opening  there  that  looks  like  a  crouching  lion  ;  is  it 
not  so  P 

"There  is  certainly  a  bright  clear  streak  of  sky  along  the 
margin  of  the  ocean,  that  has  quite  lately  made  its  appearance ; 
does  it  prove  that  the  wind  will  blow  from  that  quarter  f" 

"Quite  as  much,  my  dear  young  lady,  as  when   you  open 


Ji  O  M   K   W   A    It  i>      IJ  O  i!   N   l>  .  I  II1,) 

your   window  it  proves  that  you  mean  to  put  your  head  out 

of  it." 

"  AM  act  a  well-bred  y<><J"g  woman  very  seldom  per 
forms,"  observed  Mademoiselle  Vicfville;  "ami  never  in  a 
town." 

"  No?  Well,  in  our  town  on  the  river,  the  women's  heads 
are  half  the  time  out  of  the  windows.  But  J  do  not  pretend, 
Ma'amselle,  to  be  expert  in  proprieties  of  this  sort,  though  I 
ean  venture  lo  Kay  that  I  am  somewhat  of  a  judge  of  what  the 
winds  would  be  about  when  they  open  tfteir  shutters.  This 
opening  to  the  nor'wcsl,  then,  is  a  sure  sign  of  something  corn 
ing  out  of  the  window,  well-bred  or  not." 

"  IJul,"  added  Kvc,  "the  elouds  above  us,  and  those  farther 
SOUth,  appear  to  be  hurrying  towards  your  bright  opening,  cap- 
lain,  instead  of  from  it." 

"  Quito  in  nature;,  gentlemen  ;  quite  in  nature;,  ladies.  When 
a  man  has  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  retreat,  lie  blusters  the 
most;  and  inn:  step  forward  often  promises  two  backward.  You 
often  sec  the  stormy  petrel  sailing  at  a  ship  as  if  lie  meant  to 
come  aboard,  but  he  takes  good  care  to  put  his  helm  down  be 
fore  he  is  fairly  in  the  rigging.  So  it  is  with  clouds  and  all 
other  things  in  nature.  Vattel  says  you  may  make  a  show  of 
light  when  your  necessities  require  it,  but  that  a  neutral  cannot 
lire  a  gun,  unless  against  pirates.  Now,  these  clouds  arc  put 
ting  the  best  face  on  tin;  matter,  but  in  a  few  minutes  you  will 
sec  them  wheeling  as  St.  .Paul  did  before  them*" 

"St.  Paul,  Captain  Truck  !" 

"  Yes,  my  dear  young  lady  ;  to  the  right-about." 

Kve  frowned,  for  she  disliked  some  of  these  nautical  images, 
though  it  was  impossible  not  to  smile  in  secret  at  the  queer  as 
sociations  that  so  often  led  the  well-meaning  master's  discursive 
discourse!  His  mind  was  a  strange  jumble  of  an  early  religious 
education, — religious  as  to  externals  and  professions,  at  least, — 
with  subsequent  loose  observation  and  much  worldly  experience, 
and  he  drew  on  his  stock  of  information,  according  to  his  own 


140  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

account  of  the  matter,  "  as  Saunders,  the  steward,  cut  the  butter 
from  the  firkins,  or  as  it  came  first." 

His  prediction  concerning  the  clouds  proved  to  be  true,  for 
half  an  hour  did  not  pass  before  they  were  seen  "  scampering 
out  of  the  way  of  the  nor' wester,"  to  use  the  captain's  figure, 
"  like  sheep  giving  play  to  the  dogs."  The  horizon  brightened 
with  a  rapidity  almost  supernatural,  and,  in  a  surprisingly  short 
space  of  time,  the  whole  of  that  frowning  vault  that  had  been 
shadowed  by  murky  and  menacing  vapor,  sporting  its  gambols 
in  ominous  wildness,  was  cleared  of  every  thing  like  a  cloud, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  white,  rich,  fleecy  piles,  that  were 
grouped  in  the  north,  like  a  battery  discharging  its  artillery  on 
some  devoted  field. 

The  ship  betrayed  the  arrival  of  the  wind  by  a  cracking  of 
the  spars,  as  they  settled  into  their  places,  and  then  the  huge 
hull  began  to  push  aside  the  waters,  and  to  come  under  con 
trol.  The  first  shock  was  far  from  severe,  though,  as  the  cap 
tain  determined  to  bring  his  vessel  up  as  near  his  course  as  the 
direction  of  the  breeze  would  permit,  he  soon  found  he  had  as 
much  canvas  spread  as  she  could  bear.  Twenty  minutes  brought 
him  to  a  single  reef,  and  half  an  hour  to  a  second. 

By  this  time  attention  was  drawn  to  the  Foam.  The  old 
superiority  of  that  cruiser  was  now  apparent  again,  and  calcula 
tions  were  made  concerning  the  possibility  of  avoiding  her,  if 
they  continued  to  stand  on  much  longer  on  the  present  course. 
The  captain  had  hoped  the  Montauk  would  have  the  advantage 
from  her  greater  bulk,  when  the  two  vessels  should  be  brought 
down  to  close-reefed  topsails,  as  he  foresaw  would  be  the  case ; 
but  he  was  soon  compelled  to  abandon  even  that  hope.  Further 
to  the  southward  he  was  resolved  he  would  not  go,  as  it  would 
be  leading  him  too  far  astray,  and,  at  last,  he  came  to  the  de 
termination  to  stand  towards  the  islands,  which  were  as  near 
as  might  be  in  his  track,  and  to  anchor  in  a  neutral  roadstead, 
if  too  hard  pressed. 

"He  cannot  get  up  with  us  before    midnight,  Leach,"  he 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  141 

concluded  the  conference  held  with  the  mate  by  saying ;  "  and 
by  that  time  the  gale  will  be  at  its  height,  if  we  are  to  have  a 
gale,  and  then  the  gentleman  will  not  be  desirous  of  lowering 
his  boats.  In  the  mean  time  we  shall  be  driving  in  towards 
the  Azores,  and  it  will  be  nothing  out  of  the  course  of  nature, 
should  I  find  an  occasion  to  play  him  a  trick.  As  for  offering 
up  the  Montauk  a  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  tobacco,  as  old  Dea 
con  Hourglass  used  to  say  in  his  prayers,  it  is  a  category  to  be 
averted  by  any  catastrophe  short  of  condemnation." 


142  H  O  M  E  W  A  B  D     B  O  U  N  D  . 


CHAPTER    XI. 

'•  I,  that  shower  dewy  light 

Thiough  slumbering  leaves,  bring  storms  ! — the  tempest  birth 
Of  memory,  thought,  remorse.     Be  holy.  Earth  ! 

I  am  the  solemn  Night !" 

MRS.  HEMANS. 

IN  this  instance,  it  is  not  our  task  to  record  any  of  the  phe 
nomena  of  the  ocean,  but  a  regular,  though  fierce,  gale  of  wind. 
One  of  the  first  signs  of  its  severity  was  the  disappearance  of 
the  passengers  from  tlie  deck,  one  shutting  himself  in  his  room 
after  another,  until  none  remained  visible  but  John  Eftingham 
and  Paul  Blunt.  Both  these  gentlemen,  as  it  appeared,  had 
made  so  many  passages,  and  had  got  to  be  so  familiar  with 
ships,  that  sea-sickness  and  alarms  were  equally  impotent  as 
respects  their  constitutions  and  temperaments. 

The  poor  steerage  passengers  were  no  exception,  but  they 
stole  for  refuge  into  their  dens,  heartily  repentant,  for  the  time 
being,  at  having  braved  the  dangers  and  discomforts  of  the  sea. 
The  gentle  wife  of  Davis  would  now  willingly  have  returned  to 
meet  the  resentment  of  her  uncle :  and  as  for  the  bridegroom 

"  O 

himself,  as  Mr.  Leach,  who  passed  through  this  scene  of  abomi 
nations  to  see  that  all  was  right,  described  him,  "Mr.  Grab 
would  not  wring  him  for  a  dish-cloth,  if  he  could  see  him  in  his 
present  pickle." 

Captain  Truck  chuckled  a  good  deal  at  this  account,  for  he 
had  much  the  same  sympathy  for  ordinary  cases  of  sea-sick 
ness,  as  a  kitten  feels  in  the  agony  of  the  first  mouse  it  has 
caught,  and  which  it  is  its  sovereign  pleasure  to  play  with,  in 
stead  of  eating. 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  143 

"It  serves  him  right,  Mr.  Leach,  ^for  getting  married;  and 
mind  you  don't  fall  into  the  same  abuse  of  your  opportunities," 
he  said,  with  an  air  of  self-satisfaction,  while  comparing  three 
or  four  cigars  in  the  palm  of  his  hand,  doubtful  which  of  the 
fragrant  plump  rolls  to  put  into  his  mouth.  "  Getting  married, 
Mr.  Blunt,  commonly  makes  a  man  a  fit  subject  for  nausea,  and 
nothing  is  easier  than  to  set  the  stomach-pump  in  motion  in 
one  of  your  bridegrooms;  is  not  this  true  as  the  gospel,  Mr. 
John  Effingham  ?" 

Mr.  John  Effingham  made  no  reply ;  but  the  young  man, 
who  at  the  moment  was  admiring  his  fine  form  and  the  noble 
outline  of  his  features,  was  singularly  struck  with  the  bitter 
ness,  not  to  say  anguish,  of  the  smile  with  which  he  bowed  a 
cold  assent.  All  this  was  lost  on  Captain  Truck,  who  proceeded 
con  amore. 

"  One  of  the  first  things  that  I  ask  concerning  my  passengers 
is,  is  he  married  ?  when  the  answer  is  '  no,'  I  set  him  down  as 
a  good  companion  in  a  gale  like  this,  or  as  one  who  can  smoke, 
or  crack  a  joke  when  a  topsail  is  flying  out  of  a  bolt-rope — a 
companion  for  a  category.  Now,  if  either  of  you  gentlemen 
had  a  wife,  she  would  have  you  under  hatches  to-day,  lest  you 
should  slip  through  a  scupperhole,  or  be  washed  overboard  with 
the  spray,  or  have  your  eyebrows  blown  away  in  such  a  gale, 
and  then  I  should  lose  the  honor  of  your  company.  Comfort 
is  too  precious  to  be  thrown  away  in  matrimony.  A  man  may 
gain  foreknowledge  by  a  wife,  but  he  loses  free  agency.  As 
for  you,  Mr.  John  Effingham,  you  must  have  coiled  away  about 
half  a  century  of  life,  and  there  is  not  much  to  fear  on  your 
account;  but  Mr.  Blunt  is  still  young  enough  to  be  in  danger 
of  a  mishap.  I  wish  Neptune  would  come  aboard  of  us,  here 
away,  and  swear  you  to  be  true  and  constant  to  yourself,  young- 
gentleman." 

Paul  laughed,  colored  slightly,  and  then  rallying,  he  replied 
in  the  same  voice  : 

"At  the  risk  of  losing  your  good  opinion,  captain,  and  even 


144  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

in  the  face  of  this  gale,tl  shall  avow  myself  an  advocate  of 
matrimony." 

"  If  you  will  answer  me  one  question,  my  dear  sir,  I  will  tell 
you  whether  the  case  is,  or  is  not,  hopeless." 

"  In  order  to  assent  to  this,  you  will  of  course  see  the  neces 
sity  of  letting  me  know  what  the  question  is." 

"  Have  you  made  up  your  mind  who  the  young  woman  shall 
be  ?  If  that  point  is  settled,  I  can  only  recommend  to  you  some 
of  Joe  Bunk's  souchong,  and  advise  you  to  submit,  for  there  is 
no  resisting  one's  fate.  The  reason  your  Turks  yield  so  easily 
to  predestination  and  fate,  is  the  number  of  their  wives.  Many 
a  book  is  written  to  show  the  cause  of  their  submitting  their 
necks  so  easily  to  the  sword  and  the  bow-string.  I've  been  in 
Turkey,  gentlemen,  and  know  something  of  their  ways.  The 
reason  of  their  submitting  so  quietly  to  be  beheaded  is,  that 
they  are  always  ready  to  hang  themselves.  How  is  the  fact, 
sir  ?  have  you  settled  upon  the  young  lady  in  your  own  mind 
or  not  ?" 

Although  there  was  nothing  in  all  this  but  the  permitted  tri 
fling  of  boon-companions  on  ship-board,  Paul  Blunt  received  it 
with  an  awkwardness  one  would  hardly  have  expected  in  a 
young  man  of  his  knowledge  of  the  world.  He  reddened, 
laughed,  made  an  effort  to  throw  the  captain  to  a  greater  dis 
tance  by  reserve,  and  in  the  end  fairly  gave  up  the  matter,  by 
walking  to  another  part  of  the  deck.  Luckily,  the  attention  of 
the  honest  master  was  drawn  to  the  ship,  at  that  instant,  and 
Paul  flattered  himself  he  was  unperceived ;  but  the  shadow  of 
a  figure  at  his  elbow  startled  him,  and,  turning  quickly,  he 
found  Mr.  John  Eflangham  at  his  side. 

"  Her  mother  was  an  angel,"  said  the  latter,  huskily.  "  I, 
too,  love  her ;  but  it  is  as  a  father." 

"  Sir ! — Mr.  Eflingham  ! — these  are  sudden  and  unexpected 
remarks,  and  such  as  I  am  not  prepared  for." 

"  Do  you  think  one  as  jealous  of  that  fair  creature  as  I,  could 
have  overlooked  your  passion  ?  She  is  loved  by  loth  of  you, 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  145 

and  she  merits  the  warmest  affection  of  a  thousand.  Persevere, 
for  while  I  have  no  voice,  and,  I  fear,  little  influence  on  her  de 
cision,  some  strange  sympathy  causes  me  to  wish  you  success. 
My  own  man  told  me  that  you  have  met  before,  and  with  her 
father's  knowledge,  and  this  is  all  I  ask,  for  my  kinsman  is  dis 
creet.  He  probably  knows  you,  though  I  do  not." 

The  face  of  Paul  glowed  like  fire,  and  he  almost  gasped  for 
breath.  Pitying  his  distress,  Effingham  smiled  kindly,  and  was 
about  to  quit  him,  when  he  felt  his  hand  convulsively  grasped 
by  those  of  the  young  man. 

"  Do  not  quit  me,  Mr.  Effingham,  I  entreat  you,"  he  said 
rapidly ;  "  it  is  so  unusual  for  me  to  hear  words  of  confidence, 
or  even  of  kindness,  that  they  are  most  precious  to  me  !  I  have 
permitted  myself  to  be  disturbed  by  the  random  remarks  of  that 
well-meaning,  but  unreflecting  man ;  but  in  a  moment  I  shall 
be  more  composed — more  manly — less  unworthy  of  your  at 
tention  and  pity." 

"  Pity  is  a  word  I  should  never  have  thought  of  applying  to 
the  person,  character,  attainments,  or  as  I  hoped,  fortunes  of 
Mr.  Blunt ;  and  I  sincerely  trust  that  you  will  acquit  me  of  im 
pertinence.  I  have  felt  an  interest  in  you,  young  man,  that  I 
have  long  ceased  to  feel  in  most  of  my  species,  and  I  trust  this 
will  be  some  apology  for  the  liberty  I  have  taken.  Perhaps 
the  suspicion  that  you  were  anxious  to  stand  well  in  the  good 
opinion  of  my  little  cousin  was  at  the  bottom  of  it  all." 

"  Indeed  you  have  not  misconceived  my  anxiety,  sir ;  for 
who  is  there  that  could  be  indifferent  to  the  good  opinion  of 
one  so  simple  and  yet  so  cultivated ;  with  a  mind  in  which  na 
ture  and  knowledge  seem  to  struggle  for  the  possession.  One, 
Mr.  Effingham,  so  little  like  the  cold  sophistication  and  heart- 
lessness  of  Europe  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  unformed  girlish- 
ness  of  America,  on  the  other ;  one,  in  short,  so  every  way 
what  the  fondest  father  or  the  most  sensitive  brother  could 
wish." 

John  Effingham  smiled,  for  to  smile  at  any  weakness  was 


146  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

with  him  a  habit ;  but  his  eye  glistened.  After  a  moment  of 
doubt,  he  turned  to  his  young  companion,  and  with  a  delicacy 
of  expression  and  a  dignity  of  manner  that  none  could  excel 
him  in,  when  he  chose,  he  put  a  question  that  for  several  days 
had  been  uppermost  in  his  thoughts,  though  no  fitting  occasion 
had  ever  before  offered,  on  which  he  thought  he  might  venture. 

"  This  frank  confidence  emboldens  me — one  who  ought  to 
be  ashamed  to  boast  of  his  greater  experience,  when  every  day 
shows  him  to  how  little  profit  it  has  been  turned,  to  presume 
to  render  our  acquaintance  less  formal,  by  alluding  to  interests 
more  personal  than  strangers  have  a  right  to  touch  on.  You 
speak  of  the  two  parts  of  the  world  just  mentioned,  in  a  way  to 
show  me  you  are  equally  acquainted  with  both." 

"  I  have  often  crossed  the  ocean,  and,  for  so  young  a  man, 
have  seen  a  full  share  of  their  societies.  Perhaps  it  increases 
my  interest  in  your  lovely  kinswoman,  that,  like  myself,  she 
properly  belongs  to  neither." 

"Be  cautious  how  you  whisper  that  in  her  ear,  my  youthful 
friend ;  for  Eve  Effingham  fancies  herself  as  much  American  in 
character  as  in  birth.  Single-minded  and  totally  without 
management, — devoted  to  her  duties, — religious  without  cant, 
— a  warm  friend  of  liberal  institutions,  without  the  slightest 
approach  to  the  impracticable,  in  heart  and  soul  a  woman,  you 
will  find  it  hard  to  persuade  her,  that  with  all  her  practice  in 
the  world,  and  all  her  extensive  attainments,  she  is  more  than 
a  humble  copy  of  her  own  great  beau  id£al? 

Paul  smiled,  and  his  eyes  met  those  of  John  Effingham — the 
expression  of  both  satisfied  the  parties  that  they  thought  alike 
in  more  things  than  in  their  common  admiration  of  the  subject 
of  their  discourse. 

"  I  feel  I  have  not  been  as  explicit  as  I  ought  to  be  with  you, 
Mr.  Effingham,"  the  young  man  resumed,  after  a  pause;  "but 
on  a  more  fitting  occasion,  I  shall  presume  on  your  kindness  to 
be  less  reserved.  My  lot  has  throAvn  me  on  the  world,  almost 
without  friends,  quite  without  relatives,  so  far  as  intercourse 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  147 


with  them  is  concerned ;  and  I  have  known  little  of  the  lan 
guage  or  the  acts  of  the  affections." 

John  Effingham  pressed  his  hand,  and  from  that  time  he 
cautiously  abstained  from  any  allusion  to  his  personal  concerns ; 
for  a  suspicion  crossed  his  mind  that  the  subject  was  painful  to 
the  young  man.  He  knew  that  thousands  of  well-educated 
and  frequently  of  affluent  people,  of  both  sexes,  were  to  be  found 
in  Europe,  to  whom,  from  the  circumstance  of  having  been  born 
out  of  wedlock,  through  divorces,  or  other  family  misfortunes, 
their  private  histories  were  painful,  and  he  at  once  inferred  that 
some  such  event,  quite  probably  the  first,  lay  at  the  bottom  of 
Paul  Blunt's  peculiar  situation.  Notwithstanding  his  warm 
attachment  to  Eve,  he  had  too  much  confidence  in  her  own  as 
well  as  in  her  father's  judgment,  to  suppose  an  acquaintance  of 
any  intimacy  would  be  lightly  permitted ;  and  as  to  the  mere 
prejudices  connected  with  such  subjects,  he  was  quite  free  from 
them.  Perhaps  his  masculine  independence  of  character  caused 
him,  on  all  such  points,  to  lean  to  the  side  of  the  ultra  in  liber 
ality. 

In  this  short  dialogue,  with  the  exception  of  the  slight  though 
unequivocal  allusion  of  John  EffingLam,  both  had  avoided  any 
further  allusions  to  Mr.  Sharp,  or  to  his  supposed  attachment 
to  Eve.  Both  were  confident  of  its  existence,  and  this  perhaps 
was  one  reason  why  neither  felt  any  necessity  to  advert  to  it ; 
for  it  was  a  delicate  subject,  and  one,  under  the  circumstances, 
that  they  would  mutually  wish  to  forget  in  their  cooler  moments. 
The  conversation  then  took  a  more  general  character,  and  for 
several  hours  that  day,  while  the  rest  of  the  passengers  were 
kept  below  by  the  state  of  the  weather,  these  two  were  together, 
laying,  what  perhaps  it  was  now  too  late  to  term,  the  founda 
tion  of  a  generous  and  sincere  friendship.  Hitherto  Paul  had 
regarded  John  Effingham  with  distrust  and  awe,  but  he  found 
him  a  man  so  different  from  what  report  and  his  own  fancy  had 
pictured,  that  the  reaction  in  his  feelings  served  to  heighten 
them,  and  to  aid  in  increasing  his  respect.  On  the  other  hand,  the 


148  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

young  man  exhibited  so  much  modest  good  sense,  a  fund  of  in 
formation  so  much  beyond  his  years,  such  integrity  and  justice 
of  sentiment,  that  when  they  separated  for  the  night,  the  old 
bachelor  was  full  of  regret  that  nature  had  not  made  him  the 
parent  of  such  a  son. 

All  this  time  the  business  of  the  ship  had  gone  on.  The 
wind  increased  steadily,  until,  as  the  sun  went  down,  Captain 
Truck  announced  it,  in  the  cabin,  to  be  a  "  regular-built  gale 
of  wind."  Sail  after  sail  had  been  reduced  or  furled,  until 
the  Montauk  was  lyiug-to  under  her  foresail,  a  close-reefed 
maintop-sail,  a  foretop-mast  staysail,  and  a  mizzen  staysail. 
Doubts  were  even  entertained  whether  the  second  of  these 
sails  would  not  have  to  be  handed  soon,  and  the  foresail  itself 
reefed. 

The  ship's  head  was  to  the  south-southwest,  her  drift  con 
siderable,  and  her  way  of  course  barely  sufficient  to  cause  her 
to  feel  her  helm.  The  Foam  had  gained  on  her  several  miles 
during  the  time  sail  could  be  carried ;  but  she,  also,  had  been 
obliged  to  heave-to,  at  the  same  increase  of  the  sea  and  wind 
as  that  which  had  forced  Mr.  Truck  to  lash  his  wheel  down. 
This  state  of  tilings  made  a  considerable  change  in  the  relative 
positions  of  the  two  vessels  again  ;  the  next  morning  showing 
the  sloop-of-war  hull  down,  and  well  on  the  weather-beam  of 
the  packet.  Her  sharper  mould  and  more  weatherly  qualities 
had  done  her  this  service,  as  became  a  ship  intended  for  war 
and  the  chase. 

At  all  this,  however,  Captain  Truck  laughed.  He  could  not 
be  boarded  in  such  weather,  and  it  was  matter  of  indifference 
where  his  pursuer  might  be,  so  long  as  he  had  time  to  escape, 
when  the  gale  ceased.  On  the  whole  he  was  rather  glad  than 
otherwise  of  the  present  state  of  things,  for  it  offered  a  chance 
to  slip  away  to  leeward  as  soon  as  the  weather  would  permit, 
if,  indeed,  his  tormentor  did  not  altogether  disappear  in  the 
northern  board,  or  to  windward. 

The  hopes  and  fears  of  the  worthy  master,  however,  were 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  149 

poured  principally  into  the  ears  of  his  two  mates ;  for  few  of 
the  passengers  were  visible  until  the  afternoon  of  the  second 
day  of  the  gale  :  then,  indeed,  a  general  relief  to  their  physical 
Suffering  occurred,  though  it  was  accompanied  by  apprehen 
sions  that  scarcely  permitted  the  change  to  be  enjoyed.  About 
noon,  on  that  day,  the  wind  came  with  such  power,  and  the 
seas  poured  down  against  the  bows  of  the  ship  with  a  violence 
so  tremendous,  that  it  got  to  be  questionable  whether  she  could 
any  longer  remain  with  safety  in  her  present  condition.  Seve 
ral  times  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  the  waves  had  forced 
her  bows  off,  and  before  the  ship  could  recover  her  position, 
the  succeeding  billow  would  break  against  her  broadside,  and 
throw  a  flood  of  water  on  her  decks.  This  is  a  danger  peculiar 
to  lying-to  in  a  gale  ;  for  if  the  vessel  get  into  the  trough  of  the 
sea,  and  is  met  in  that  situation  by  a  wave  of  unusual  magni 
tude,  she  runs  the  double  risk  of  being  thrown  on  her  beam- 
ends,  and  of  having  her  decks  cleared  of  every  thing,  by  the 
cataract  of  water  that  washes  athwart  them.  Landsmen  enter 
tain  little  notion  of  the  power  of  the  waters,  when  driven  before 
a  tempest,  and  are  often  surprised,  in  reading  of  naval  catas 
trophes,  at  the  description  of  the  injuries  done.  But  experience 
shows  that  boats,  hurricane-houses,  guns,  anchors  of  enormous 
weight,  bulwarks  and  planks,  are  even  swept  off  into  the  ocean, 
in  this  manner,  or  are  ripped  up  from  their  fastenings. 

The  process  of  lying-to  has  a  double  advantage,  so  long  as  it 
can  be  maintained,  since  it  offers  the  strongest  portion  of  the 
vessel  to  the  shock  of  the  seas,  and  has  the  merit  of  keeping 
her  as  near  as  possible  to  the  desired  direction.  But  it  is  a 
middle  course,  being  often  adopted  as  an  expedient  of  safety 
when  a  ship  cannot  scud ;  and  then,  again,  it  is  abandoned  for 
scudding  when  the  gale  is  so  intensely  severe  that  it  becomes 
in  itself  dangerous.  In  nothing  are  the  high  qualities  of  a  ship 
so  thoroughly  tried  as  in  their  manner  of  behaving,  as  it  is 
termed,  in  these  moments  of  difficulty ;  nor  is  the  seamanship 
of  the  accomplished  officer  so  triumphantly  established  in  any 


150  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

other  part  of  his  professional  knowledge,  as  when  he  has  had 
an  opportunity  of  showing  that  he  knows  how  to  dispose  of  the 
vast  weight  his  vessel  is  to  carry,  so  as  to  enable  her  mould  to 
exhibit  its  perfection,  and  on  occasion  to  turn  both  to  the  best 
account. 

Nothing  will  seem  easier  to  a  landsman  than  for  a  vessel  to 
run  before  the  wind,  let  the  force  of  the  gale  be  what  it  may. 
But  his  ignorance  overlooks  most  of  the  difficulties,  nor  shall 
.we  anticipate  their  dangers,  but  let  them  take  their  places  in 
the  regular  thread  of  the  narrative. 

Long  before  noon,  or  the  hour  mentioned,  Captain  Truck 
foresaw  that,  in  consequence  of  the  seas  that  were  constantly 
coming  on  board  of  her,  he  should  be  compelled  to  put  his  ship 
before  the  wind.  He  delayed  the  manoeuvre  to  the  last  mo 
ment,  however,  for  what  he  deemed  to  be  sufficient  reasons. 
The  longer  he  kept  the  ship  lying-to,  the  less  he  deviated  from 
his  proper  course  to  New  York,  and  the  greater  was  the  proba 
bility  of  his  escaping,  stealthily  and  without  observation,  from 
the  Foam,  since  the  latter,  by  maintaining  her  position  better, 
allowed  the  Montauk  to  drift  gradually  to  leeward,  and,  of 
course,  to  a  greater  distance. 

But  the  crisis  would  no  longer  admit  of  delay.  All  hands 
were  called ;  the  maintop-sail  was  hauled  up,  not  without  much 
difficulty,  and  then  Captain  Truck  reluctantly  gave  the  order 
to  haul  down  the  mizzen-staysail,  to  put  the  helm  hard  up, 
and  to  help  the  ship  round  with  the  yards.  This  is  at  all  times 
a  critical  change,  as  has  just  been  mentioned,  for  the  vessel  is 
exposed  to  the  ravages  of  any  sea,  larger  than  common,  that 
may  happen  to  strike  her  as  she  lies,  nearly  motionless,  with 
her  broadside  exposed  to  its  force.  To  accomplish  it,  there 
fore,  Captain  Truck  went  up  a  few  ratlines  in  the  fore-rigging 
(he  was  too  nice  a  calculator  to  offer  even  a  surface  as  small  as 
his  own  body  to  the  wind,  in  the  after  shrouds),  whence  he 
looked  out  to  windward  for  a  lull,  and  a  moment  when  the 
ocean  had  fewer  billows  than  common  of  the  larger  and  more 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  151 

dangerous  kind.     At  the  desired  instant  lie  signed  with  his  hand, 
and  the  wheel  was  shifted  from  hard-down  to  hard-np. 

This  is  always  a  breathless  moment  in  a  ship,  for  as  none  can 
foresee  the  result,  it  resembles  the  entrance  of  a  hostile  battery. 
A  dozen  men  may  be  swept  away  in  an  instant,  or  the  ship 
herself  hove  over  on  her  side.  John  Effiiigham  and  Paul,  who 
of  all  the  passengers  were  alone  on  deck,  understood  the  haz 
ards,  and  they  watched  the  slightest  change  with  the  interest  of 
men  who  had  so  much  at  stake.  At  first,  the  movement  of 
the  ship  was  sluggish,  and  such  as  ill-suited  the  eagerness  of 
the  crew.  Then  her  pitching  ceased,  and  she  settled  into  the 
enormous  trough  bodily,  or  the  whole  fabric  sunk,  as  it  were, 
never  to  rise  again.  So  low  did  she  fall,  that  the  foresail  gave 
a  tremendous  flap ;  one  that  shook  the  hull  and  spars  from 
stern  to  stern.  As  she  rose  on  the  next  surge,  happily  its  foam 
ing  crest  slid  beneath  her,  and  the  tall  masts  rolled  heavily  to 
windward.  Recovering  her  equilibrium,  the  ship  started  through 
the  brine,  and  as  the  succeeding  roller  came  on,  she  was  urg 
ing  ahead  fast.  Still,  the  sea  struck  her  abeam,  forcing  her 
bodily  to  leeward,  and  heaving  the  lower  yard-arms  into  the 
ocean.  Tons  of  water  fell  on  her  decks,  with  the  dull  sound  of 
the  clod  on  the  coffin.  At  this  grand  movement,  old  Jack 
Truck,  who  was  standing  in  the  rigging,  dripping  with  the 
spray,  that  had  washed  over  him,  with  a  naked  head,  and  his 
gray  hair  glistening,  shouted  like  a  Stentor,  "Haul  in  your 
fore-braces,  boys  !  away  with  the  yard,  like  a  fiddlestick !" 
Every  nerve  was  strained ;  the  unwilling  yards,  pressed  upon 
by  an  almost  irresistible  column  of  air,  yielded  slowly,  and  as 
the  sail  met  the  gale  more  perpendicularly,  or  at  right  angles 
to  its  surface,  it  dragged  the  vast  hull  through  the  sea  with  a 
power  equal  to  that  of  a  steam-engine.  Ere  another  sea  could 
follow,  the  Montauk  was  glancing  through  the  ocean  at  a  furious 
rate,  and  though  offering  her  quarter  to  the  billows,  their  force 
was  now  so  much  diminished  by  her  own  velocity,  as  to  de 
prive  them  of  their  principal  danger. 


152  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

The  motion  of  the  ship  immediately  became  easy,  though 
her  situation  was  still  far  from  being  without  risk.  No  longer 
compelled  to  buffet  the  waves,  but  sliding  along  in  their  com 
pany,  the  motion  ceased  to  disturb  the  systems  of  the  passen 
gers,  and  ten  minutes  had  not  elapsed  before  most  of  them  were 
again  on  deck,  seeking  the  relief  of  the  open  air.  Among  the 
others  was  Eve,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  father. 

It  was  a  terrific  scene,  though  one  might  now  contemplate 
it  without  personal  inconvenience.  The  gentlemen  gathered 
around  the  beautiful  and  appalled  spectatress  of  this  grand 
sight,  anxious  to  know  the  effect  it  might  produce  on  one  of 
her  delicate  frame  and  habits.  She  expressed  herself  as  awed, 
but  not  alarmed ;  for  the  habits  of  dependence  usually  leave 
females  less  affected  by  fear,  in  such  cases,  than  those  who,  by 
their  sex,  are  supposed  to  be  responsible. 

Mademoiselle  Viefville  has  promised  to  follow  me,"  she  said, 
"  and  as  I  have  a  national  claim  to  be  a  sailor,  you  are  not  to 
expect  hysterics  or  even  ecstasies  from  me ;  but  reserve  your 
selves,  gentlemen,  for  the  Parisienne." 

The  Parisienne,  sure  enough,  soon  came  out  of  the  hurricane- 
house,  with  elevated  hands,  and  eyes  eloquent  of  admiration, 
wonder,  and  fear.  Her  first  exclamations  were  those  of  terror, 
and  then  turning  a  wistful  look  on  Eve,  she  burst  into  tears. 
"Ah,  ceci  est  decistf!"  she  exclaimed.  "When  we  part,  we 
shall  be  separated  for  life." 

"  Then  we  will  not  part  at  all,  my  dear  mademoiselle  ;  you 
have  only  to  remain  in  America,  to  escape  all  future  inconve 
niences  of  the  ocean.  But  forget  the  danger,  and  admire  the 
sublimity  of  this  terrific  panorama." 

Well  might  Eve  thus  term  the  scene.  The  hazards  now  to 
be  avoided  were  those  of  the  ship's  broach ing-to,  and  of  being 
pooped.  Nothing  may  seem  easier,  as  has  been  said,  than  to 
"  sail  before  the  wind,"  the  words  having  passed  into  a  proverb  ; 
but  there  are  times  when  even  a  favoring  gale  becomes  prolific 
of  dangers,  that  we  shall  now  briefly  explain. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  153 

The  velocity  of  the  water,  urged  as  it  is  before  a  tempest,  is 
often  as  great  as  that  of  the  ship,  and  at  such  moments  the  rud 
der  is  useless,  its  whole  power  being  derived  from  its  action  as  a 
moving  body  against  the  element  in  comparative  repose.  When 
ship  and  water  move  together,  at  an  equal  rate,  in  the  same 
direction,  of  course  this  power  of  the  helm  is  neutralized,  and 
then  the  hull  is  driven  much  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and 
waves.  Nor  is  this  all ;  the  rapidity  of  the  billows  often  ex 
ceeds  that  of  a  ship,  and  then  the  action  of  the  rudder  becomes 
momentarily  reversed,  producing  an  effect  exactly  opposite  to 
that  which  is  desired.  It  is  true,  this  last  difficulty  is  never  of 
more  than  a  few  moments'  continuance,  else  indeed  would  the 
condition  of  the  mariner  be  hopeless ;  but  it  is  of  constant  oc 
currence,  and  so  irregular  as  to  defy  calculations  and  defeat 
caution.  In  the  present  instance,  the  Montauk  would  seem  to 
fly  through  the  water,  so  swift  was  her  progress ;  and  then,  as 
a  furious  surge  overtook  her  in  the  chase,  she  settled  heavily 
into  the  element,  like  a  wounded  animal,  that,  despairing  of  es 
cape,  sinks  helplessly  in  the  grass,  resigned  to  fate.  At  such 
times  the  crests  of  the  waves  swept  past  her,  like  vapor  in  the 
atmosphere ;  and  one  unpractised  would  be  apt  to  think  the 
ship  stationary,  though  in  truth  whirling  along  in  company 
with  a  frightful  momentum. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  the  process  of  scudding 
requires  the  nicest  attention  to  the  helm,  in  order  that  the  hull 
may  be  brought  speedily  back  to  the  right  direction,  when 
thrown  aside  by  the  power  of  the  billows ;  for,  besides  losing 
her  way  in  the  caldron  of  water — an  imminent  danger  of 
itself — if  left  exposed  to  the  attack  of  the  succeeding  wave,  her 
decks  at  least  would  be  swept,  even  should  she  escape  a  still 
more  serious  calamity. 

Pooping  is  a  hazard  of  another  nature,  and  is  also  peculiar 
to  the  process  of  scudding.  It  merely  means  the  ship's  being 
overtaken  by  the  waters  while  running  from  them,  when  the 
crest  of  a  sen,  broken  bv  the  resistance,  is  thrown  inboard,  over 


154  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  taffrail  or  quarter.  The  term  is  derived  from  the  name  of 
that  particular  portion  of  the  ship.  In  order  to  avoid  this  risk, 
sail  is  carried  on  the  vessel  as  long  as  possible,  it  being  deemed 
one  of  the  greatest  securities  of  scudding,  to  force  the  hull 
through  the  water  at  the  greatest  attainable  rate.  In  conse 
quence  of  these  complicated  risks,  ships  that  sail  the  fastest  and 
steer  the  easiest,  scud  the  best.  There  is,  however,  a  species  of 
velocity  that  becomes  of  itself  a  source  of  new  danger ;  thus, 
exceedingly  sharp  vessels  have  been  known  to  force  themselves 
so  far  into  the  watery  mounds  in  their  front,  and  to  receive  so 
much  of  the  element  on  their  decks,  as  never  to  rise  again. 
This  is  a  fate  to  which  those  who  attempt  to  sail  the  American 
clipper  without  understanding  its  properties  are  peculiarly 
liable.  On  account  of  this  risk,  however,  there  was  now  no 
cause  of  apprehension,  the  full-bowed,  kettle-bottomed  Montauk 
being  exempt  from  the  danger ;  though  Captain  Truck  inti 
mated  his  doubts  whether  the  corvette  would  like  to  brave  the 
course  he  had  himself  adopted. 

In  this  opinion,  the  fact  would  seem  to  sustain  the  master  of 
the  packet ;  for  when  the  night  shut  in,  the  spars  of  the  Foam 
were  faintly  discernible,  drawn  like  spiders'  webs  on  the  bright 
streak  of  the  evening  sky.  In  a  few  more  minutes,  even  this 
tracery,  which  resembled  that  of  a  magic-lantern,  vanished  from 
the  eyes  of  those  aloft ;  for  it  had  not  been  seen  by  any  on  deck 
for  more  than  an  hour. 

The  magnificent  horrors  of  the  scene  increased  with  the  dark 
ness.  Eve  and  her  companions  stood  supported  by  the  hurri 
cane-house,  watching  it  for  hours,  the  supernatural-looking  light, 
emitted  by  the  foaming  sea  rendering  the  spectacle  one  of  at 
tractive  terror.  Even  the  consciousness  of  the  hazards  heightened 
the  pleasure ;  for  there  was  a  solemn  and  grand  enjoyment 
mingled  with  it  all,  and  the  first  watch  had  been  set  an  hour, 
before  the  party  had  resolution  enough  to  tear  themselves  from 
the  sublime  sight  of  a  raging  sea. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  155 


CHAPTER    XII. 

K  Touch.  "Wast  ever  in  court,  shepherd  ? 
(lor.   No,  truly. 
Touch.   Then  thou  art  damn'd. 

Cor.  Nay,  I  hope 

Touch.   Truly,  thou  art  darnn'd,  like  an  ill-roasted  egg,  all  on  one  side." 

As  You  LIKE  IT. 

No  one  thought  of  seeking  his  berth  when  all  the  passengers 
were  below.  Some  conversed  in  broken,  half-intelligible  dia 
logues,  a  few  tried  unavailingly  to  read,  and  more  sat  look 
ing  at  each  other  in  silent  misgivings,  as  the  gale  howled  through 
the  cordage  and  spars,  or  among  the  angles  and  bulwarks  of  the 
ship.  Eve  was  seated  on  a  sofa  in  her  own  apartment,  leaning 
on  the  breast  of  her  father,  gazing  silently  through  the  open 
doors  into  the  forward  cabin ;  for  all  idea  of  retiring  within 
one's  self,  unless  it  might  be  to  secret  prayer,  was  banished  from 
the  mind.  Even  Mr.  Dodge  had  forgotten  the  gnawings  of 
envy,  his  philanthropical  and  exclusive  democracy,  and,  what 
was  perhaps  more  convincing  still  of  his  passing  views  of  this 
sublunary  world,  his  profound  deference  for  rank,  as  betrayed  in 
his  strong  desire  to  cultivate  an  intimacy  with  Sir  George  Tem- 
plemore.  As  for  the  baronet  himself,  he  sat  by  the  cabin-table 
with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands,  and  once  he  had  been  heard 
to  express  a  regret  that  he  had  ever  embarked. 

Saunders  broke  the  moody  stillness  of  this  characteristic 
party,  with  preparations  for  a  supper.  He  took  but  one  end  of 
the  table  for  his  cloth,  and  a  single  cover  showed  that  Captain 
Truck  was  about  to  dine,  a  thing  he  had  not  yet  done  that  day. 
The  attentive  steward  had  an  eye  to  Iris  commander's  tastes  ; 


156  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

for  it  is  not  often  one  sees  a  better  garnished  board  than  was 
spread  on  this  occasion,  so  far  at  least  as  quantity  was  con 
cerned.  Besides  the  usual  solids  of  ham,  corned-beef,  and 
roasted  shoat,  there  were  carcases  of  ducks,  pickled  oysters — a 
delicacy  almost  peculiar  to  America — and  all  the  minor  condi 
ments  of  olives,  anchovies,  dates,  figs,  almonds,  raisins,  cold 
potatoes,  and  puddings,  displayed  in  a  single  course,  and  ar 
ranged  on  the  table  solely  with  regard  to  the  reach  of  Cap 
tain  Truck's  arm.  Although  Saunders  was  not  quite  without 
taste,  he  too  well  knew  the  propensities  of  his  superior  to  neg 
lect  any  of  these  important  essentials,  and  great  care  was  had, 
in  particular,  so  to  dispose  of  every  thing  as  to  render  the  whole 
so  many  radii  diverging  from  a  common  centre,  which  centre 
was  the  stationary  armchair  that  the  master  of  the  packet  loved 
to  fill  in  his  hours  of  ease. 

"  You  will  make  many  voyages,  Mr.  Toast," — the  steward 
affectedly  gave  his  subordinate,  or  as  he  was  sometimes  face 
tiously  called,  the  steward's  mate,  reason  to  understand,  when 
they  had  retired  to  the  pantry  to  await  the  captain's  appear 
ance — "  before  you  accumulate  all  the  niceties  of  a  gentleman's 
dinner.  Every  plat"  (Saunders  had  been  in  the  Havre  line, 
where  he  had  caught  a  few  words  of  this  nature),  "  every  plat 
should  be  within  reach  of  the  convive's  arm,  and  particularly  if 
it  happen  to  be  Captain  Truck,  who  has  a  great  awersion  to 
delays  at  his  diet.  As  for  the  entremets,  they  may  be  scat 
tered  miscellaneously  with  the  salt  and  the  mustard,  so  that 
they  can  come  with  facility  in  their  proper  places." 

"  I  don't  know  what  an  entremet  is,"  returned  the  subordi 
nate,  "  and  I  exceedingly  desire,  sir,  to  receive  my  orders  in  such 
English  as  a  gentleman  can  diwine." 

"  An  entremet,  Mr.  Toast,  is  a  mouthful  thrown  in  promis 
cuously  between  the  reliefs  of  the  solids.  Now,  suppose  a 
gentleman  begins  on  pig ;  when  he  has  eaten  enough  of  this, 
he  likes  a  little  brandy  and  water,  or  a  glass  of  porter,  before 
he  cuts  into  the.  beef;  and  while  I'm  mixing  the  first,  or  start- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  157 

ing  the  cork,  he  refreshes  himself  with  an  entremet,  such  as 
a  wing  of  a  duck,  or  perhaps  a  plate  of  pickled  oysters.  You 
must  know  that  there  is  great  odds  in  passengers  ;  one  set  eat 
ing  and  jollifying,  from  the  hour  we  sail  till  the  hour  we  get  in, 
while  another  takes  the  ocean  as  it  might  be  sentimentally." 

"  Sentimentally,  sir !  I  s'pose  those  be  they  as  uses  the  basins 
uncommon  ?" 

"  That  depends  on  the  weather.  I've  known  a  party  not  eat 
as  much  as  would  set  one  handsome  table  in  a  week,  and  then, 
when  they  conwalesced,  it  was  intimidating  how  they  dewoured. 
It  makes  a  great  difference,  too,  whether  the  passengers  acqui 
esce  well  together  or  not,  for  agreeable  feelings  give  a  fine  ap 
petite.  Lovers  make  cheap  passengers  always." 

"  That  is  extr'or'nary,  for  I  thought  such  as  they  was  always 
hard  to  please,  with  every  thing  but  one  another." 

"  You  never  were  more  mistaken.  I've  seen  a  lover  who 
couldn't  tell  a  sweet  potato  from  an  onion,  or  a  canvas-back  from 
an  old-wife.  But  of  all  mortals  in  the  way  of  passengers,  the 
bagman  or  go-between  is  my  greatest  animosity.  These  fel 
lows  will  sit  up  all  night,  if  the  captain  consents,  and  lie  abed 
next  day,  and  do  nothing  but  drink  in  their  berths.  Now,  this 
time  we  have  a  compilable  set,  and  on  the  whole,  it  is  quite  a 
condescension  and  pleasure  to  wait  on  them." 

"  Well,  I  think,  Mr.  Saunders,  they  isn't  alike  as  much  as 
they  might  be  nother." 

"  Not  more  so  than  wenison  and  pig.  Perfectly  correct,  sir  ; 
for  this  cabin  is  a  lobscouse  as  regards  deportment  and  charac 
ter.  I  set  all  the  Effinghams  down  as  tip-tops,  or,  A  No.  1,  as 
Mr.  Leach  calls  his  ship  ;  and  then  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt 
are  quite  the  gentlemen.  Nothing  is  easier,  Mr.  Toast,  than  to 
tell  a  gentleman  ;  and  as  you  have  set  up  a  new  profession, — 
in  which  I  hope,  for  the  credit  of  the  color,  you  will  be  pros 
perous, — it  is  well  worth  your  while  to  know  how  this  is  done, 
especially  as  you  need  never  expect  much  from  a  passenger, 
that  is  not  a  true  gentleman,  but  trouble.  There  is  Mr.  John 


158  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

Effingham,  in  particular;  his  man  says  lie  never  anticipates 
change,  and  if  a  coat  confines  his  arm,  he  repudiates  it  on  the 
spot." 

"  Well,  it  must  be  a  satisfaction  to  serve  sach  a  companion. 
I  think  Mr.  Dodge,  sir,  quite  a  feller." 

"  Your  taste,  Toast,  is  getting  to  be  observable,  and  by  culti 
vating  it,  you  will  soon  be  remarkable  for  a  knowledge  of  man 
kind.  Mr.  Dodge,  as  you  werry  justly  insinuate,  is  not  wcrry 
refined,  or  particularly  well  suited  to  figure  in  genteel  society." 

"  And  yet  he  seems  attached  to  it,  Mr.  Saunders,  for  he  has 
purposed  to  establish  five  or  six  societies  since  we  sailed." 

" Werry  true,  sir;  but  then  every  society  is  not  genteel. 
When  we  get  back  to  New  York,  Toast,  I  must  see  and  get  you 
into  a  better  set  than  the  one  you  occupied  when  we  sailed. 
You  will  not  do  yet  for  our  circle,  which  is  altogether  conclu 
sive  ;  but  you  might  be  elevated.  Mr.  Dodge  has  been  elec 
tioneering  with  me,  to  see  if  we  cannot  inwent  a  society  among 
the  steerage  passengers  for  the  abstinence  of  liquors,  and  an 
other  for  the  perpetration  of  the  morals  and  religious  principles 
of  our  forefathers.  As  for  the  first,  Toast,  I  told  him  it  was 
sufficiently  indurable  to  be  confined  in  a  hole  like  the  steerage, 
without  being  percluded  from  the  consolation  of  a  little  drink ; 
and  as  for  the  last,  it  appeared  to  me  that  such  a  preposition 
inwolwed  an  attack  on  liberty  of  conscience." 

"  There  you  giv'd  him,  sir,  quite  as  good  as  he  sent,"  returned 
the  steward's  mate,  chuckling — or  perhaps  sniggering  would 
be  a  word  better  suited  to  his  habits  of  cachinnation — "  and  I 
should  have  been  glad  to  witness  his  confusion.  It  seems  to 
me,  Mr.  Saunders,  that  Mr.  Dodge  loves  to  get  up  his  societies 
in  support  of  liberty  and  religion,  that  he  may  predominate 
over  both  by  his  own  inwentions." 

Saunders  laid  his  long  yellow  finger  on  the  broad  flat  nose  of 
his  mate,  with  an  air  of  approbation,  as  he  replied — 

"  Toast,  you  have  hit  his  character  as  pat  as  I  touch  your 
Roman.  He  is  a  man  fit  to  make  proselytes  among  the  wulgar 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  159 

and  Irish," — the  Hibernian  peasant  and  the  American  negro 
are  sworn  enemies — "  but  quite  unfit  for  any  thing  respectable 
or  decent.  Were  it  not  for  Sir  George,  I  would  scarcely  de 
scend  to  clean  his  stateroom." 

"  What  is  your  sentiments,  Mr.  Saunders,  respecting  Sir 
George  ?" 

"  Why,  Sir  George  is  a  titled  gentleman,  and  of  course  is  not 
to  be  strictured  too  freely.  He  has  complimented  me  already 
with  a  sovereign,  and  apprised  me  of  his  intention  to  be  more 
particular  when  we  get  in." 

"  I  feel  astonished  such  a  gentleman  should  neglect  to  insure 
a  stateroom  to  his  own  convenience." 

"  Sir  George  has  elucidated  all  that  in  a  conversation  we  had 
in  his  room,  soon  after  our  acquaintance  commenced.  He  is 
going  to  Canada  on  public  business,  and  sailed  at  an  hour's  in 
terval.  He  was  too  late  for  a  single  room,  and  his  own  man  is 
to  follow  with  most  of  his  effects  by  the  next  ship.  Oh  !  Sir 
George  may  be  safely  put  down  as  respectable  and  liberalized, 
though  thrown  into  disparagement  perhaps  by  forty  circum 
stances." 

Mr.  Saunders,  who  had  run  his  vocabulary  hard  in  this  con 
versation,  meant  to  say  "  fortuitous ;"  and  Toast  thought  that 
so  many  circumstances  might  well  reduce  a  better  man  to  a 
dilemma.  After  a  moment  of  thought,  or  what  in  his  orbicular 
shining  features  he  fancied  passed  for  thought,  he  said — 

"I  seem  to  diwine,  Mr.  Saunders,  that  the  Effinghams  do  not 
much  intimate  Sir  George." 

Saunders  looked  out  of  the  pantry-door  to  reconnoitre,  and 
finding  the  sober  quiet  already  described  reigning,  he  opened  a 
drawer,  arid  drew  forth  a  London  newspaper. 

"  To  treat  you  with  the  confidence  of  a  gentleman  in  a  situa 
tion  as  respectable  and  responsible  as  the  one  you  occupy,  Mr. 
Toast,"  he  said,  "  a  little  ewent  has  transpired  in  my  presence 
yesterday,  that  I  thought  sufficiently  particular  to  be  designated 
by  retaining  this  paper.  Mr.  Sharp  and  Sir  George  happened 


1GO  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

to  be  in  the  cabin  together,  alone,  and  the  last,  as  it  suggested 
to  me,  Toast,  was  desirous  of  removing  some  of  the  haughter  of 
the  first,  for  you  may  have  observed  that  there  has  been  no 
conversation  between  any  of  the  Effinghams,  or  Mr.  Blunt,  or 
Mr.  Sharp,  and  the  baronet ;  and  so,  to  break  the  ice  of  his 
haughter,  as  it  might  be,  Sir  George  says,  '  Really,  Mr.  Sharp, 
the  papers  have  got  to  be  so  personally  particular,  that  one 
cannot  run  into  the  country  for  a  mouthful  of  fresh  air  that 
they  don't  record  it.  Now,  I  thought  not  a  soul  knew  of  my 
departure  for  America,  and  yet  here  you  see  they  have  men 
tioned  it,  with  more  particulars  than  are  agreeable.'  On  con 
cluding,  Sir  George  gave  Mr.  Sharp  this  paper,  and  indicated 
this  here  paragraph.  Mr.  Sharp  perused  it,  laid  down  the 
paper,  and  retorted  coldly,  *  It  is  indeed  quite  surprising,  sir  ; 
but  impudence  is  a  general  fault  of  the  age.'  And  then  he  left 
the  cabin  solus.  Sir  George  was  so  wexed,  he  went  into  his 
stateroom  and  forgot  the  paper,  which  fell  to  the  steward,  you 
know,  on  a  principle  laid  down  in  Wattel,  Toast." 

Here  the  two  worthies  indulged  in  a  smothered  merriment 
of  their  own,  at  the  expense  of  their  commander ;  for,  though 
a  dignified  man  in  general,  Mr.  Saunders  could  laugh  on  occa 
sion,  and,  according  to  his  own  opinion  of  himself,  he  danced 
particularly  well. 

"  Would  you  like  to  read  the  paragraph,  Mr.  Toast  ?" 

"Quite  unnecessary,  sir;  your  account  will  be  perfectly  legi 
ble  and  satisfactory." 

By  this  touch  of  politeness.  Mr.  Toast,  who  knew  as  much 
of  the  art  of  reading  as  a  monkey  commonly  knows  of  mathe 
matics,  got  rid  of  the  awkwardness  of  acknowledging  the  care 
less  manner  in  which  he  had  trifled  with  his  early  opportuni 
ties.  Luckily,  Mr.  Saunders,  who  had  been  educated  as  a 
servant  in  a  gentleman's  family,  was  better  off,  and  as  he  was 
vain  of  all  his  advantages,  he  was  particularly  pleased  to  have 
an  opportunity  of  exhibiting  them.  Turning  to  the  paragraph, 
he  read  the  following  lines,  in  that  sort  of  didactic  tone  and 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  1G1 

elaborate  style  with  which  gentlemen  who  commence  the  graces 
after  thirty  are  a  little  apt  to  make  bows  : 

"  We  understand  Sir  George  Templemore,  Bart.,  the  member 
for  Boodleigh,  is  about  to  visit  our  American  colonies,  with  a 
view  to  make  himself  intimately  acquainted  with  the  merits  of 
the  unpleasant  questions  by  which  they  are  just  now  agitated, 
and  with  the  intention  of  entering  into  the  debates  in  the 
House  on  that  interesting  subject  on  his  return.  We  believe 
that  Sir  George  will  sail  in  the  packet  of  the  first  from  Liver 
pool,  and  will  return  in  time  to  be  in  his  seat  after  the  Easter 
holidays.  His  people  and  effects  left  town  yesterday  by  the 
Liverpool  coach.  During  the  baronet's  absence,  his  county 
will  be  hunted  by  Sir  Gervaise  de  Brush,  though  the  establish 
ment  at  Templemore  Hall  will  be  kept  up." 

"  How  came  Sir  George  here,  then  ?"  Mr.  Toast  very  natu 
rally  inquired. 

"  Having  been  kept  too  late  in  London,  he  was  obliged  to 
come  this  way  or  to  be  left.  It  is  sometimes  as  close  work  to 
get  the  passengers  on  board,  Mr.  Toast,  as  to  get  the  people.  I 
have  often  admired  how  gentlemen  and  ladies  love  procrasti 
nating,  when  dishes  that  ought  to  be  taken  hot,  are  getting  to 
be  quite  insipid  and  uneatable." 

"  Saunders  !"  cried  the  hearty  voice  of  Captain  Truck,  who 
had  taken  possession  of  what  he  called  his  throne  in  the  cabin. 
All  the  steward's  elegant  diction  and  finish  of  demeanor  van 
ished  at  the  well-known  sound,  and,  thrusting  his  head  out  of 
the  pantry-door,  he  gave  the  prompt  ship-answer  to  a  call — 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !" 

"Come,  none  of  your  dictionary  in  the  pantry  there,  but 
show  your  physiognomy  in  my  presence.  What  the  devil  do 
you  think  Vattel  would  say  to  such  a  supper  as  this  ?" 

"  I  think,  sir,  he  would  call  it  a  werry  good  supper  for  a 
ship  in  a  hard  gale  of  wind.  That's  my  honest  opinion,  Cap 
tain  Truck,  and  I  never  deceive  any  gentleman  in  a  matter  of 
food.  I  think  Mr.  Wattel  would  approve  of  that  there  supper,  sir." 


102  HOME  WARD      BOUND. 

"  Perhaps  he  might,  for  he  has  made  blunders  as  well  as  an 
other  man.  Go,  mix  me  a  glass  of  just  what  I  love,  when  I've 
not  had  a  drop  all  day.  Gentlemen,  will  any  of  you  honor 
me,  by  sharing  in  a  cut?  This  beef  is  not  indigestible,  and 
here  is  a  real  Marylander,  in  the  way  of  a  ham ;  no  want  of 
oakum  to  fill  up  the  chinks  Avith,  either." 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  were  too  full  of  the  gale  to  wish  to 
eat ;  besides,  they  had  not  fasted  like  Captain  Truck  since 
morning.  But  Mr.  Monday,  the  bagman,  as  John  Effingham 
had  termed  him,  and  who  had  been  often  enough  at  sea  to 
know  something  of  its  varieties,  consented  to  take  a  glass  of 
brandy  and  water,  as  a  corrective  of  the  Madeira  he  had  been 
swallowing.  The  appetite  of  Captain  Truck  was  little  affected 
by  the  state  of  the  weather,  however ;  for  though  too  attentive 
to  his  duties  to  quit  the  deck  until  he  had  ascertained  how 
matters  were  going  on,  now  that  he  had  fairly  made  up  his 
mind  to  eat,  he  set  about  it  with  a  heartiness  and  simplicity 
that  proved  his  total  disregard  of  appearances  when  his  hunger 
was  sharp.  For  some  time  he  was  too  much  occupied  to  talk, 
making  regular  attacks  upon  the  different  platSj  as  Mr.  Saun- 
ders  called  them,  without  much  regard  to  the  cookery  or  the 
material.  The  only  pauses  were  to  drink,  and  this  was  always 
done  with  a  steadiness  that  never  left  a  drop  in  the  glass.  Still 
Mr.  Truck  was  a  temperate  man ;  for  he  never  consumed  more 
than  his  physical  wants  appeared  to  require,  or  his  physi 
cal  energies  knew  how  to  dispose  of.  At  length,  however, 
he  came  to  the  steward's  entremets,  or  he  began  to  stuff 
what  he,  himself,  had  called  "  oakum,"  into  the  chinks  of  his 
dinner. 

Mr.  Sharp  had  watched  the  whole  process  from  the  ladies' 
cabin,  as  indeed  had  Eve ;  and  thinking  this  a  favorable  occa 
sion  to  ascertain  the  state  of  things  on  deck,  the  former  came 
into  the  main  cabin,  commissioned  by  the  latter,  to  make  the 
inquiry. 

"  The  ladies  are  desirous  of  knowing  where  we  are,  and  what 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  1 63 

is  the  state  of  the  gale,  Captain  Truck,"  said  the  gentleman, 
when  he  had  seated  himself  near  the  throne. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  called  out  the  captain,  by  way  of 
cutting  short  the  diplomacy  of  employing  ambassadors  between 
them,  "  I  wish  in  my  heart  I  could  persuade  you  and  Made 
moiselle  V.  A.  V."  (for  so  he  called  the  governess,  in  imitation 
of  Eve's  pronunciation  of  her  name),  "to  try  a  few  of  these 
pickled  oysters ;  they  are  as  delicate  as  yourselves,  and  worthy 
to  be  set  before  a  mermaid,  if  there  were  any  such  thing." 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  compliment,  Captain  Truck ;  and  while 
I  ask  leave  to  decline  it,  I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to  the  pleni 
potentiary  Mademoiselle  Viefville"  (Eve  would  not  say  herself) 
"  has  intrusted  with  her  wishes." 

"  Thus  you  perceive,  sir,"  interposed  Mr.  Sharp  again,  "  you 
will  have  to  treat  with  me,  by  all  the  principles  laid  down  by 
Vattel." 

"  And  treat  you  too,  my  good  sir.  Let  me  persuade  you  to 
try  a  slice  of  this  anti-abolitionist,"  laying  his  knife  on  the  ham, 
which  he  still  continued  to  regard  himself  with  a  sort  of  melan 
choly  interest.  No  ?  well,  I  hold  over-persuasion  as  the  next 
thing  to  neglect.  I  am  satisfied,  sir,  after  all,  as  Saunders  says, 
that  Vattel  himself,  unless  more  unreasonable  at  his  grub  than 
in  matters  of  state,  would  be  a  happier  man  after  he  had  been 
at  his  table  twenty  minutes,  than  before  he  sat  down." 

Mr.  Sharp  perceiving  that  it  was  idle  to  pursue  his  inquiry 
while  the  other  was  in  one  of  his  discursive  humors,  deter 
mined  to  let  things  take  their  course,  and  fell  into  the  captain's 
own  vein. 

"  If  Vattel  would  approve  of  the  repast,  few  men  ought  to 
repine  at  their  fortune  in  being  so  well  provided." 

"  I  natter  myself,  sir,  that  I  understand  a  supper,  especially 
in  a  gale  of  wind,  as  well  as  Mr.  Vattel,  or  any  other  man 
could  do." 

"  And  yet  Vattel  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  cooks  of 
his  day." 


164  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

Captain  Truck  stared,  looked  his  grave  companion  steadily 
in  the  eye,  for  he  was  too  much  addicted  to  mystifying,  not  to 
distrust  others,  and  picked  his  teeth  with  redoubled  dili 
gence. 

"  Vattel  a  cook  !     This  is  the  first  I  ever  heard  of  it." 

"  There  was  a  Vattel,  in  a  former  age,  who  stood  at  the  head 
of  his  art  as  a  cook ;  this  I  can  assure  you,  on  my  honor  :  he 
may  not  have  been  your  Vattel,  however." 

"  Sir,  there  never  were  two  Vattels.  This  is  extraordinary 
news  to  me,  and  I  scarcely  know  how  to  receive  it." 

"  If  you  doubt  my  information,  you  may  ask  any  of  the  other 
passengers.  Either  of  the  Mr.  Effinghams,  or  Mr.  Blunt,  'or 
Miss  Effingham,  or  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  will  confirm  what  I 
tell  you,  I  think ;  especially  the  latter,  for  he  was  her  coun 
tryman." 

Hereupon  Captain  Truck  began  to  stuff  in  the  oakum  again, 
for  the  calm  countenance  of  Mr.  Sharp  produced  an  effect;  and 
as  he  was  pondering  on  the  consequences  of  his  oracle's  turning 
out  to  be  a  cook,  he  thought  it  not  amiss  to  be  eating,  as  it 
were,  incidentally.  After  swallowing  a  dozen  olives,  six  or  eight 
anchovies,  as  many  pickled  oysters,  and  raisins  and  almonds,  as 
the  advertisements  say  a  volonte,  he  suddenly  struck  his  fist  on 
the  table,  and  announced  his  intention  of  putting  the  question 
to  both  the  ladies. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  he  called  out,  "  will  you  do  me  the 
honor  to  say  whether  you  ever  heard  of  a  cook  of  the  name 
of  Vattel  ?" 

Eve  laughed,  and  her  sweet  tones  were  infectious  amid  the 
dull  howling  of  the  gale,  which  was  constantly  heard  in  the 
cabins,  like  a  bass  accompaniment,  or  the  distant  roar  of  a  cata 
ract  among  the  singing  of  birds. 

"  Certainly,  captain,"  she  answered  ;  "Mr. Vattel  was  not  only 
a  cook,  but  perhaps  the  most  celebrated  on  record,  for  sentiment 
at  least,  if  not  for  skill." 

"  I  make  no  doubt  the  man  did  his  work  well,  let  him  be 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  165 

set  about  what  he  might ;  and,  mademoiselle,  he  was  a  coun 
tryman  of  yours,  they  tell  me  ?" 

Assurement,  Monsieur  Vattel  has  left  more  distinguished 
souvenirs  than  any  other  cook  in  France." 

Captain  Truck  turned  quickly  to  the  elated  and  admiring 
Saunders,  who  felt  his  own  glory  enhanced  by  this  important 
discovery,  and  said  in  that  short-hand  way  he  had  of  expressing 
himself  to  the  chief  of  the  pantry — 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  sir  ?  see  and  find  out  what  they  are,  and 
dress  me  a  dish  of  these  souvenirs  as  soon  as  we  get  in.  I  dare 
say  they  are  to  be  had  at  the  Fulton  market ;  and  mind,  while 
there,  to  look  out  for  some  tongues  and  sounds.  I've  not  made 
half  a  supper  to-night,  for  the  want  of  them.  I  dare  say  these 
souvenirs  are  capital  eating,  if  Monsieur  Vattel  thought  so 
highly  of  them.  Pray,  mademoiselle,  is  the  gentleman  dead  ?" 

"  Helas,  oui !  How  could  he  live  with  a  sword  run  through 
his  body  ?" 

"  Ha  !  killed  in  a  duel,  I  declare  ;  died  fighting  for  his  prin 
ciples,  if  the  truth  were  known  !  I  shall  have  a  double  respect 
for  his  opinion,  for  this  is  the  touchstone  of  a  man's  honesty. 
Mr.  Sharp,  let  us  take  a  glass  of  Geissenheimer  to  his  memory ; 
we  miffht  honor  a  less  worthy  man." 

As  the  captain  poured  out  the  liquor,  a  fall  of  several  tons 
of  water  on  the  deck  shook  the  entire  ship,  and  one  of  the 
passengers  in  the  hurricane-house,  opening  a  door  to  ascertain 
the  cause,  the  sound  of  the  hissing  waters  and  of  the  roaring 
winds  came  fresher  and  more  distinct  into  the  cabin.  Mr. Truck 
cast  an  eye  at  the  tell-tale  over  his  head  to  ascertain  the  course 
of  the  ship,  and  paused  just  an  instant,  and  then  tossed  off  his 


"  This  hint  reminds  me  of  my  mission,"  Mr.  Sharp  rejoined. 
"  The  ladies  desire  to  know  your  opinion  of  the  state  of  the 
weather  ?" 

"  I  owe  them  an  answer,  if  it  were  only  in  gratitude  for  the 
hint  about  Vattel.  Who  the  devil  would  have  supposed  the 


166  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

man  ever  was  a  cook !  But  these  Frenchmen  are  not  like  the 
rest  of  mankind,  and  half  the  nation  are  cooks,  or  live  by  food, 
in  some  way  or  other." 

"And  very  good  cooks,  too,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine,"  said 
Mademoiselle  Viefville.  "  Monsieur  Vattel  did  die  for  the  honor 
of  his  art.  He  fell  on  his  own  sword,  because  the  fish  did  not 
arrive  in  season  for  the  dinner  of  the  king." 

Captain  Truck  looked  more  astonished  than  ever.  Then 
turning  short  round  to  the  steward,  he  shook  his  head  and  ex 
claimed — 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  sir  ?  How  often  would  you  have  died, 
if  a  sword  had  been  run  through  you  every  time  the  fish  was 
forgotten,  or  was  too  late  ?  Once,  to  a  dead  certainty,  about 
these  very  tongues  and  sounds." 

"  But  the  weather  ?"  interrupted  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  The  weather,  my  dear  sir ;  the  weather,  my  dear  ladies,  is 
very  good  weather,  with  the  exception  of  winds  and  waves,  of 
which,  unfortunately,  there  are  just  now  more  of  both  than  we 
want.  The  ship  must  scud ;  and  as  we  go  like  a  race-horse, 
without  stopping  to  take  breath,  we  may  see  the  Canary  Islands 
before  the  voyage  is  over.  Of  danger  there  is  none  in  this  ship, 
as  long  as  we  can  keep  clear  of  the  land ;  and  in  order  that  this 
may  be  done,  I  will  just  step  into  my  stateroom  and  find  out 
exactly  where  we  are." 

On  receiving  this  information,  the  passengers  retired  for  the 
night,  Captain  Truck  setting  about  his  task  in  good  earnest. 
The  result  of  his  calculations  showed  that  they  would  run 
westward  of  Madeira,  which  was  all  he  cared  about  immedi 
ately,  intending  always  to  haul  up  to  his  course  on  the  first  good 
occasion. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  167 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

''There  are  yet  two  things  in  my  destiny — 
A  world  to  roam  o'er,  and  a  home  with  thee." 

BYKON. 

EVE  EFFINGHAM  slept  little :  although  the  motion  of  the  ship 
had  been  much  more  severe  and  uncomfortable  while  contend 
ing  with  head-winds,  on  no  other  occasion  were  there  so  many 
signs  of  a  fierce  contention  of  the  elements  as  in  this  gale.  As 
she  lay  in  her  berth,  her  ear  was  within  a  foot  of  the  roaring 
waters  without,  and  her  frame  trembled  as  she  heard  them 
gurgling  so  distinctly,  that  it  seemed  as  if  they  had  already 
forced  their  way  through  the  seams  of  the  planks,  and  were 
filling  the  ship.  Sleep  she  could  not,  for  a  long  time,  there 
fore,  and  during  two  hours  she  remained  with  closed  eyes  an 
entranced  and  yet  startled  listener  of  the  fearful  strife  that  was 
raging  over  the  ocean.  Night  had  no  stillness,  for  the  roar  of 
the  winds  and  waters  was  incessant,  though  deadened  by  the 
intervening  decks  and  sides ;  but  now  and  then  an  open  door 
admitted,  as  it  might  be,  the  whole  scene  into  the  cabins.  At 
such  moments  every  sound  was  fresh,  and  frightfully  grand, — 
even  the  shout  of  the  officer  coming  to  the  ear  like  a  warning 
cry  from  the  deep. 

At  length  Eve,  wearied  by  her  apprehensions  even,  fell  into 
a  troubled  sleep,  in  which  her  frightened  faculties,  however, 
kept  so  much  on  the  alert,  that  at  no  time  was  the  roar  of  the 
tempest  entirely  lost  to  her  sense  of  hearing.  About  midnight 
the  glare  of  a  candle  crossed  her  eyes,  and  she  was  broad 
awake  in  an  instant.  On  rising  in  her  berth  she  found  Nanny 


168  HOME W A KD      BOUND. 

Sidley,  who  had  so  often  and  so  long  watched  over  her  infant 
and  childish  slumbers,  standing  at  her  side,  and  gazing  wist 
fully  in  her  face. 

"  'Tis  a  dreadful  night,  Miss  Eve,"  half  whispered  the  ap 
palled  domestic.  "  I  have  not  been  able  to  sleep  for  thinking 
of  you,  and  of  what  might  happen  on  these  wide  waters !" 

"  And  why  of  me  particularly,  my  good  Nanny  2"  returned 
Eve,  smiling  in  the  face  of  her  old  nurse  as  sweetly  as  the  in 
fant  smiles  in  its  moments  of  tenderness  and  recollection. 
"Why  so  much  of  me,  my  excellent  Ann? — are  there  not 
others  too,  worthy  of  your  care  ?  my  beloved  father — your  own 
good  self — Mademoiselle  Viefville — cousin  Jack — and — "  the 
warm  color  deepened  on  the  cheek  of  the  beautiful  girl,  she 
scarcely  knew  why  herself — "  and  many  others  in  the  vessel, 
that  one,  kind  as  you,  might  think  of,  I  should  hope,  when  your 
thoughts  become  apprehensions,  and  your  wishes  prayers." 

"  There  are  many  precious  souls  in  the  ship,  ma'am,  out  of  all 
question ;  and  I'm  sure  no  one  wishes  them  all  safe  on  land 
again  more  than  myself;  but  it  seems  to  me,  no  one  among 
them  all  is  so  much  loved  as  you." 

Eve  leaned  forward  playfully,  and  drawing  her  old  nurse 
towards  her,  kissed  her  cheek,  while  her  own  eyes  glistened, 
and  then  she  laid  her  flushed  cheek  on  that  bosom  which  had 
so  frequently  been  its  pillow  before.  After  remaining  a  minute 
in  this  affectionate  attitude,  she  rose  and  inquired  if  her  nurse 
had  been  on  deck. 

"  I  go  every  half-hour,  Miss  Eve ;  for  I  feel  it  as  much  my 
duty  to  watch  over  you  here,  as  when  I  had  you  all  to  myself 
in  the  cradle.  I  do  not  think  your  father  sleeps  a  great  deal 
to-night,  and  several  of  the  gentlemen  in  the  other  cabins  re 
main  dressed ;  they  ask  me  how  you  spend  the  time  in  this 
tempest,  whenever  I  pass  their  stateroom  doors." 

Eve's  color  deepened,  and  Ann  Sidley  thought  she  had  never 
seen  her  child  more  beautiful,  as  the  bright  luxuriant  golden 
hair,  which  had  strayed  from  the  confinement  of  the  cap,  fell 


H  O  M  E  W  A  II  D      B  O  U  N  I)  .  169 

on  the  warm  cheek,  and  rendered  eyes  that  were  always  full  of 
feeling,  softer  and  more  brilliant  even  than  common. 

"They  conceal  their  uneasiness  for  themselves  under  an 
affected  concern  for  me,  my  good  Nanny,"  she  said  hurriedly ; 
i%  and  your  own  affection  makes  you  an  easy  dupe  to  the  arti 
fice." 

"  It  may  be  so,  ma'am,  for  I  know  but  little  of  the  ways  of 
the  world.     It  is  fearful,  is  it  not,  Miss  Eve,  to  think  that  we 
are  in  a  ship,  so  far  from  any  land,  whirling  along  over  the  but 
torn  as  fast  as  a  horse  could  plunge  ?" 

"  The  danger  is  not  exactly  of  that  nature,  perhaps,  Nanny." 

"  There  is  a  bottom  to  the  ocean,  is  there  not  ?  I  have  heard 
some  maintain  there  is  no  bottom  to  the  sea — and  that  would 
make  the  danger  so  much  greater.  I  think,  if  I  felt  certain  that 
the  bottom  was  not  very  deep,  and  there  was  only  a  rock  to  be 
seen  now  and  then,  I  should  not  find  it  so  very  dreadful." 

Eve  laughed  like  a  child,  and  the  contrast  between  the  sweet 
simplicity  of  her  looks,  her  manners,  and  her  more  cultivated 
intellect,  and  the  matronly  appearance  of  the  less  instructed 
Ann,  made  one  of  those  pictures  in  which  the  superiority  of 
mind  over  all  other  things  becomes  most  apparent. 

"Your  notions  of  safety,  my  dear  Nanny,"  she  said,  "  are  not 
precisely  those  of  a  seaman  ;  for  I  believe  there  is  nothing  of 
which  they  stand  more  in  dread  than  of  rocks  and  the  bottom." 

"  I  fear  I'm  but  a  poor  sailor,  ma'am,  for  in.  my  judgment  we 
could  have  no  greater  consolation  in  such  a  tempest  than  to  see 
them  all  around  us.  Do  you  think,  Miss  Eve,  that  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean,  if  there  is  truly  a  bottom,  is  whitened  with  the 
bones  of  shipwrecked  -mariners,  as  people  say  ?" 

"  I  doubt  not,  my  excellent  Nanny,  that  the  great  deep  might 
give  up  many  awful  secrets ;  but  you  ought  to  think  less  of 
these  things,  and  more  of  that  merciful  Providence  which  has 
protected  us  through  so  many  dangers  since  we  have  been  wan 
derers.  You  are  in  much  less  danger  now  than  I  have  known 
you  to  be,  and  escape  unharmed." 

8 


170  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  I,  Miss  Eve ! — Do  you  suppose  that  I  fear  for  myself  ? 
What  matters  it  if  a  poor  old  woman  like  me  die  a  few  years 
sooner  or  later,  or  where  her  frail  old  body  is  laid  ?  I  have 
never  been  of  so  much  account  when  living  as  to  make  it  of 
consequence  where  the  little  which  will  remain  to  decay  when 
dead  moulders  into  dust,  Do  not,  I  implore  you,  Miss  Effing- 
ham,  suppose  me  so  selfish  as  to  feel  any  uneasiness  to-night  on 
my  own  account." 

"Is  it  then,  as  usual,  all  for  me,  my  dear,  my  worthy  old 
nurse,  that  you  feel  this  anxiety  ?  Put  your  heart  at  ease,  for 
they  who  know  best  betray  no  alarm ;  and  you  may  observe 
that  the  captain  sleeps  as  tranquilly  this  night  as  on  any  other." 

"  But  he  is  a  rude  man,  and  accustomed  to  danger.  He  has 
neither  wife  nor  children,  and  I'll  engage  has  never  given  a 
thought  to  the  horrors  of  having  a  form  precious  as  this  float 
ing  in  the  caverns  of  the  ocean,  amidst  ravenous  fish  and  sea- 
monsters." 

Here  her  imagination  overcame  poor  Nanny  Sidley,  and  she 
folded  her  arms  about  the  beautiful  person  of  Eve,  and  sobbed 
violently.  Her  young  mistress,  accustomed  to  similar  exhibi 
tions  of  affection,  soothed  her  with  blandishments  and  assur 
ances  that  soon  restored  her  self-command,  when  the  dialogue 
was  resumed  with  a  greater  appearance  of  tranquillity  on  the 
part  of  the  nurse.  They  conversed  a  few  minutes  on  the  sub 
ject  of  their  reliance  on  God,  Eve  returning  fourfold,  or  with 
the  advantages  of  a  cultivated  intellect,  many  of  those  simple 
lessons  of  faith  and  humility  that  she  had  received  from  her 
companion  when  a  child  ;  the  latter  listening,  as  she  always  did, 
to  these  exhortations,  which  sounded  in  her  ears,  like  the 
echoes  of  all  her  own  better  thoughts,  with  a  love  and  reverence 
no  other  could  awaken.  Eve  passed  her  small  white  hand  over 
the  wrinkled  cheek  of  Nanny  in  kind  fondling,  as  it  had  been 
passed  a  thousand  times  when  a  child,  an  act  she  well  knew 
her  nurse  delighted  in,  and  continued — 

"  And  now,  my  good  old  Nanny,  you  will  set  your  heart  at 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  171 

ease,  I  know  ;  for  though  a  little  too  apt  to  trouble  yourself 
about  one  who  does  not  deserve  half  your  care,  you  are  much 
too  sensible  and  too  humble  to  feel  distrust  out  of  reason.  We 
will  talk  of  something  else  a  few  minutes,  and  then  you  will 
lie  down  and  rest  your  weary  body." 

"  Weary !  1  should  never  feel  weary  in  watching,  when  I 
thought  there  was  a  cause  for  it." 

Although  Nanny  made  no  allusion  to  herself,  Eve  understood 
in  whose  behalf  this  watchfulness  was  meant.  She  drew  the 
face  of  the  old  woman  towards  her,  and  left  a  kiss  on  each 
cheek  ere  she  continued — 

"  These  ships  have  other  things  to  talk  about,  besides  their 
dangers,"  she  said.  "  Do  you  not  find  it  odd,  at  least,  that  a 
vessel  of  war  should  be  sent  to  follow  us  about  the  ocean  in 
this  extraordinary  way  ?" 

"  Quite  so,  ma'am,  and  I  did  intend  to  speak  to  you  about  it, 
some  time  when  I  saw  you  had  nothing  better  to  think  of.  At 
first  I  fancied,  but  I  believe  it  was  a  silly  thought,  that  some  of 
the  great  English  lords  and  admirals  that  used  to  be  so  much 
about  us  at  Paris,  and  Rome,  and  Vienna,  had  sent  this  ship  to 
see  you  safe  to  America,  Miss  Eve ;  for  I  never  supposed  they 
would  make  so  much  fuss  concerning  a  poor  runaway  couple, 
like  these  steerage  passengers." 

Eve  did  not  refrain  from  laughing  again,  at  this  conceit  of 
Nanny's,  for  her  temperament  was  gay  as  childhood,  though 
well  restrained  by  cultivation  and  manner,  and  once  more  she 
patted  the  cheek  of  her  nurse  kindly. 

"  Those  great  lords  and  admirals  are  not  great  enough  for 
that,  dear  Nanny,  even  had  they  the  inclination  to  do  so  silly  a 
thing.  But  has  no  other  reason  suggested  itself  to  you,  among 
the  many  curious  circumstances  you  may  have  bad  occasion  to 
observe  in  the  ship  ?" 

Nanny  looked  at  Eve,  and  turned  her  eyes  aside,  glanced 
furtively  at  the  young  lady  again,  and  at  last  felt  compelled  to 
answer. 


H  O  M  £  W  A  K  1)      B  O  I'  M 


"  I  endeavor,  ma'am,  to  think  well  of  everybody,  though 
strange  thoughts  will  sometimes  arise  without  our  wishing  it.  I 
suppose*  I  know  to  what  you  allude  ;  but  I  don't  feel  quite  cer 
tain  it  becomes  me  to  speak." 

"With  me  at  least,  Nanny,  you  need  have  no  reserves,  and  I 
confess  a  desire  to  learn  if  we  have  thought  alike  about  some 
of  our  fellow-passengers.  Speak  freely,  then  ;  for  you  can  have 
no  more  apprehension  in  communicating  all  your  thoughts  to 
me,  than  in  communicating  them  to  your  own  child." 

"  Not  as  much,  ma'am,  not  half  as  much  ;  for  you  are  both 
child  and  mistress  to  me,  and  I  look  quite  as  much  to  receiving 
advice  as  to  give  it.  It  is  odd,  Miss  Eve,  that  gentlemen  should 
not  pass  under  their  proper  names,  and  I  have  had  unpleasant 
feelings  about  it,  though  I  did  not  think  it  became  me  to  be  the 
first  to  speak,  while  your  father  was  with  you,  and  mamerzelle," 
for  so  Nanny  always  styled  the  governess,  "  and  Mr.  John,  all 
of  whom  love  you  almost  as  much  as  I  do,  and  all  of  whom  are 
so  much  better  judges  of  what  is  right.  But  now  you  encour 
age  me  to  speak  my  mind,  Miss  Eve,  I  will  say  I  should  like 
that  no  one  came  near  you  who  does  not  carry  his  heart  in  his 
open  hand,  that  the  youngest  child  might  know  his  character 
and  understand  his  motives." 

Eve  smiled  as  her  nurse  grew  wrarm,  but  she  blushed  in  spite 
of  an  effort  to  seem  indifferent. 

*'  This  would  be  truly  a  vain  wish,  dear  Nanny,  in  the  mixed 
company  of  a  ship,"  she  said.  "  It  is  too  much  to  expect  that 
strangers  will  throw  aside  all  their  reserves,  on  first  finding 
themselves  in  close  communion.  The  well-bred  and  prudent 
will  only  stand  more  on  their  guard  under  such  circum 
stances." 

"  Strangers,  ma'am  !" 

"  I  perceive  that  you  recollect  the  face  of  one  of  our  ship 
mates.  Why  do  you  shake  your  head  ?"  The  tell-tale  blood 
of  Eve  again  mantled  over  her  lovely  countenance.  "I 
suppose  I  ought  to  have  said  two  of  our  shipmates,  though  I 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  1*73 

had  doubted  whether  you  retained  any  recollection  of  one  of 
them." 

"  No  gentleman  ever  speaks  to  you  twice,  Miss  Eve,  that  I  do 
not  remember  him." 

"  Thank  you,  dearest  Nanny,  for  this  and  a  thousand  other 
proofs  of  your  never-ceasing  interest  in  my  welfare;  but  I  had 
not  believed  you  so  vigilant  as  to  take  heed  of  every  face  that 
happens  to  approach  me." 

"  Ah,  Miss  Eve  !  neither  of  these  gentlemen  would  like  to  be 
mentioned  by  you  in  this  careless  manner,  I'm  sure.  They 
both  did  a  great  deal  more  than  '  happen  to  approach  you  ;'  for 
as  to—" 

u  Hist !  dear  Nanny  ;  we  are  in  a  crowded  place,  and  you 
may  be  overheard.  You  will  use  no  names,  therefore,  as  I  be 
lieve  we  understand  each  other  without  going  into  all  these 
particulars.  Now,  my  dear  nurse,  would  I  give  something  to 
know  which  of  these  young  men  has  made  the  most  favorable 
impression  on  your  upright  and  conscientious  mind!" 

"  Nay,  Miss  Eve,  what  is  my  judgment  in  comparison  with 
your  own,  and  that  of  Mr.  John  Effingham,  and — 

"  My  cousin  Jack  I  In  the  name  of  wonder,  Nanny,  what 
has  he  to  do  with  the  matter?" 

"  Nothing,  ma'am  ;  only  I  can  see  he  has  his  favorites  as  well 
MS  another,  and  I'll  venture  to  say  Mr.  Dodge  is  not  the  greatest 
he  has  in  this  ship." 

"  I  think  you  might  add  Sir  George  Templemore,  too,"  re 
turned  Eve,  laughing. 

Ann  Sidley  looked  hard  at  her  young  mistress,  and  smiled 
before  she  answered ;  and  then  she  continued  the  discourse 
naturally,  as  if  there  had  been  no  interruption. 

"  Quite  likely,  ma'arn ;  and  Mr.  Monday,  and  all  the  rest  of 
that  set.  But  you  see  how  soon  he  discovers  a  real  gentleman  ; 
for  he  is  quite  easy  and  friendly  with  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt, 
particularly  the  last." 


174  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  X  D  . 

Eve  was  silent,  for  she  did  not  like  the  open  introduction  of 
these  names,  though  she  scarce  knew  why  herself. 

"  My  cousin  is  a  man  of  the  world,"  she  resumed,  on  per 
ceiving  that  Nanny  watched  her  countenance  with  solicitude, 
as  if  fearful  of  having  gone  too  far  ;  "  and  there  is  nothing  sur 
prising  in  his  discovering  men  of  his  own  class.  We  know  both 
these  persons  to  be  not  exactly  what  they  seem,  though  I  think 
we  know  no  harm  of  either,  unless  it  be  the  silly  change  of 
names.  It  would  have  been  batter  had  they  come  on  board, 
bearing  their  proper  appellations  ;  to  us,  at  least,  it  would  have 
been  more  respectful,  though  both  affirm,  they  were  ignorant 
that  my  father  had  taken  passage  in  the  Montauk, — a  circum 
stance  that  may  very  well  be  true,  as  you  know  we  got  the 
cabin  that  was  first  engaged  by  another  party." 

"  I  should  be  sorry,  ma'am,  if  either  failed  in  respect." 

"  It  is  not  quite  adulatory  to  make  a  young  woman  the  in 
voluntary  keeper  of  the  secrets  of  two  unreflecting  young  men  ; 
that  is  all,  my  good  Nanny.  We  cannot  well  betray  them,  and 
we  are  consequently  their  confidants  par  force.  The  most 
amusing  part  of  the  thing  is,  that  they  are  masters  of  each 
other's  secrets,  in  part  at  least,  and  feel  a  delightful  awkward 
ness  in  a  hundred  instances.  For  my  own  part  I  pity  neither, 
but  think  each  is  fairly  enough  punished.  They  will  be  fortu 
nate  if  their  servants  do  not  betray  them  before  we  reach  New 
York." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  ma'am,  for  they  are  discreet,  cautious  men, 
and  if  disposed  to  blab,  Mr.  Dodge  has  given  both  good  oppor 
tunities  already,  as  I  believe  he  has  put  to  them  as  many  ques 
tions  as  there  are  speeches  in  the  catechism." 

"  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  vulgar  man." 

"  So  we  all  say,  ma'am,  in  the  servants'  cabin,  and  every 
body  is  so  set  against  him  there,  that  there  is  little  chance  of 
his  learning  much.  I  hope,  Miss  Eve,  mamerzelle  does  not  dis 
trust  either  of  the  gentlemen  ?" 

"Surely  you  cannot  suspect  Mademoiselle  Viefville  of  indis- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  175 

cretion,  Nanny  ;  a  better  spirit,  or  a  better  tone  than  hers,  does 
not  exist." 

"  No,  ma'am,  't  is  not  that :  but  I  should  like  to  have  one 
more  secret  with  you,  all  to  myself.  I  honor  and  respect  mamer- 
zelle,  who  has  done  a  thousand  times  more  for  you  than  a  poor 
ignorant  woman  like  me  could  have  done,  with  all  my  zeal ;  but 
I  do  believe,  Miss  Eve,  I  love  your  shoe-tie  better  than  she  loves 
your  pure  and  beautiful  spirit." 

"  Mademoiselle  Viefville  is  an  excellent  woman,  and  I  believe 
is  sincerely  attached  to  me." 

"  She  would  be  a  wretch  else.  I  do  not  deny  her  attach 
ment,  but  I  only  say  it  is  nothing,  it  ought  to  be  nothing,  it 
can  be  nothing,  it  shall  be  nothing,  compared  to  that  of  the 
one  who  first  held  you  in  her  arms,  and  who  has  always  held 
you  in  her  heart.  Mamerzelle  can  sleep  such  a  night  as  this, 
which  I'm  sure  she  could  not  do  were  she  as  much  concerned 
for  you  as  I  am." 

Eve  knew  that  jealousy  of  Mademoiselle  Viefville  was  Nanny's 
greatest  weakness,  and  drawing  the  old  woman  to  her,  she  en 
twined  her  arms  around  her  neck  and  complained  of  drowsiness. 
Accustomed  to  watching,  and  really  unable  to  sleep,  the  nurse 
now  passed  a  perfectly  happy  hour  in  holding  her  child,  who 
literally  dropped  asleep  on  her  bosom ;  after  which  Nanny  slid 
into  the  berth  beneath,  in  her  clothes,  and  finally  lost  the  sense 
of  her  apprehensions  in  perturbed  slumbers. 

A  cry  on  deck  awoke  all  in  the  cabins  early  on  the  succeed 
ing  morning.  It  was  scarcely  light,  but  a  common  excitement 
seized  every  passenger,  and  ten  minutes  had  not  elapsed  when 
Eve  and  her  governess  appeared  in  the  hurricane-house,  the 
last  of  those  who  came  from  belowr.  Few  questions  had  been 
asked,  but  all  hurried  on  deck  with  their  apprehensions  awakened 
by  the  gale,  increased  to  the  sense  of  some  positive  and  im 
pending  danger. 

Nothing,  however,  was  immediately  apparent  to  justify  all 
this  sudden  clamor.  The  gale  continued,  if  any  thing,  with 


176  FI  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  X  D  . 

increased  power;  the  ocean  was  rolling  over  its  cataracts  of 
combing  seas,  with  which  the  ship  was  still  racing,  driven  un 
der  the  strain  of  a  reefed  forecourse,  the  only  canvas  that  was 
set.  Even  with  this  little  sail  the  hull  was  glancing  through 
the  raging  seas,  or  rather  in  their  company,  at  a  rate  a  little 
short  of  ten  miles  in  the  hour. 

Captain  Truck  was  in  the  mizzen-rigging,  bareheaded,  every 
lock  o^  hair  he  had  blowing  out  like  a  pennant.  Occasionally 
he  signed  to  the  man  at  the  wheel  which  way  to  put  the  helm ; 
for  instead  of  sleeping,  as  many  had  supposed,  he  had  been 
conning  the  ship  for  hours  in  the  same  situation.  As  Eve  ap 
peared,  he  was  directing  the  attention  of  several  of  the  gentle 
men  to  some  object  astern,  but  a  very  few  moments  put  all  on 
deck  in  possession  of  the  facts. 

About  a  cable's  length,  on  one  of  the  quarters  of  the  Mon- 
tauk,  was  a  ship  careering  before  the  gale  like  themselves, 
though  carrying  more  canvas,  and  consequently  driving  faster 
through  the  water.  The  sudden  appearance  of  this  vessel  in 
the  sombre  light  of  the  morning,  when  objects  were  seen  dis 
tinctly,  but  without  the  glare  of  day;  the  dark  hull,  relieved  by 
a  single  narrow  line  of  white  paint,  dotted  with  ports;  the 
glossy  hammock-cloths,  and  all  those  other  coverings  of  dark, 
glistening  canvas  which  give  to  a  cruiser  an  air  of  finish  and 
comfort,  like  that  of  a  travelling  carriage  ;  the  symmetry  of  the 
spars,  and  the  gracefulness  of  all  the  lines,  whether  of  the  hull 
or  hamper,  told  all  who  knew  any  thing  of  such  subjects,  that 
the  stranger  was  a  vessel  of  war.  To  this  information  Captain 
Truck  added  that  it  was  their  old  pursuer,  the  Foam. 

"  She  is  corvette-built,"  said  the  master  of  the  Montauk,  "  and 
is  obliged  to  carry  more  canvas  than  we,  in  order  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  seas ;  for,  if  one  of  these  big  fellows  should 
overtake  her,  and  throw  its  crest  into  her  waist,  she  would  bo- 
come  like  a  man  who  has  taken  too  much  Saturday  night,  and 
with  whom  a  second  dose  might  settle  the  purser's  books  for 
ever." 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  177 

Such  in  fact  was  the  history  of  the  sudden  appearance  of 
this  ship.  She  had  lain-to  as  long  as  possible,  and  on  being 
driven  to  scud,  carried  a  close-reefed  maintop-sail,  a  show  of 
canvas  that  urged  her  through  the  water  about  two  knots  to 
the  hour  faster  than  the  rate  of  the  packet.  Necessarily  follow 
ing  the  same  course,  she  overtook  the  latter  just  as  the  day 
began  to  dawn.  The  cry  had  arisen  on  her  sudden  discovery, 
and  the  moment  had  now  arrived  when  she  was  about  to  come 
up,  quite  abreast  of  her  late  chase.  The  passage  of  the  Foam, 
under  such  circumstances,  was  a  grand  but  thrilling  thing. 
Her  captain,  too,  was  seen  in  the  mizzen-rigging  of  his  ship, 
rocked  by  the  gigantic  billows  over  which  the  fabric  was  ca 
reering.  He  held  a  speaking-trumpet  in  his  hand,  as  if  still 
bent  on  his  duty,  in  the  midst  of  that  awful  warring  of  the 
elements.  Captain  Truck  called  for  a  trumpet  in  his  turn,  and, 
fearful  of  consequences,  he  waved  it  to  the  other  to  keep  more 
aloof.  The  injunction  was  either  misunderstood,  the  man-of- 
war's  man  was  too  much  bent  on  his  object,  or  the  ocean  was 
too  uncontrollable  for  such  a  purpose,  the  corvette  driving  up 
on  a  sea  quite  abeam  of  the  packet,  and  in  fearful  proximity. 
The  Englishman  applied  the  trumpet,  and  words  were  heard 
amid  the  roaring  of  the  winds.  At  that  time  the  white  field  of 
old  Albion,  with  the  St.  George's  cross,  rose  over  the  bulwarks, 
and  by  the  time  it  had  reached  the  gaff-end,  the  bunting  was 
whipping  in  ribbons. 

"  Show  'em  the  gridiron !"  growled  Captain  Truck  through 
his  trumpet,  "  with  its  mouth  turned  in-board." 

As  every  thing  was  ready,  this  order  was  instantly  obeyed, 
and  the  stripes  of  America  were  soon  seen  fluttering  nearly  in 
separate  pieces.  The  two  ships  now  ran  a  short  distance  in 
parallel  lines,  rolling  from  each  other  so  heavily  that  the  bright 
copper  of  the  corvette  was  seen  nearly  to  her  keel.  The  Eng 
lishman,  who  seemed  a  portion  of  his  ship,  again  tried  his 
trumpet ;  the  detached  words  of  "  lie-by," — "  orders," — "  com 
municate,"  were  caught  by  one  or  two,  but  the  howling  of  the 


178  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

gale  rendered  all  connection  in  the  meaning  impossible.  The 
Englishman  ceased  his  efforts  to  make  himself  heard,  for  the 
two  ships  were  now  rolling-to,  and  it  appeared  as  if  their  spars 
would  interlock.  There  was  an  instant  when  Mr.  Leach  had 
his  hand  on  the  main-brace  to  let  it  go ;  but  the  Foam  started 
away  on  a  sea,  like  a  horse  that  feels  the  spur,  and  disobeying 
her  helm,  shot  forward,  as  if  about  to  cross  the  Montauk's  fore 
foot. 

A  breathless  instant  followed,  for  all  on  board  the  two  ships 
thought  they  must  now  inevitably  come  foul  of  each  other,  and 
this  the  more  so,  because  the  Montauk  took  the  impulse  of  the 
sea  just  as  it  was  lost  to  the  Foam,  and  seemed  on  the  point  of 
plunging  directly  into  the  stern  of  the  latter.  Even  the  seamen 
clenched  the  ropes  around  them  convulsively,  and  the  boldest 
held  their  breaths  for  a  time.  The  "  p-o-r-t,  hard  a  port,  and 

be  d d  to  you  !"  of  Captain  Truck,  and  the  "  S-t-a-r-b-o-a-r-d, 

starboard  hard  !"  of  the  Englishman,  were  both  distinctly  audi 
ble  to  all  in  the  two  ships ;  for  this  was  a  moment  in  which 
seamen  can  speak  louder  than  the  tempest.  The  affrighted 
vessels  seemed  to  recede  together,  and  they  shot  asunder  in 
diverging  lines,  the  Foam  leading.  All  further  attempts  at  a 
communication  were  instantly  useless  ;  the  corvette  being  half  a 
mile  ahead  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  rolling  her  yard-arms  nearly 
to  the  water. 

Captain  Truck  said  little  to  his  passengers  concerning  this 
adventure ;  but  when  he  had  lighted  a  cigar,  and  was  discuss 
ing  the  matter  with  his  chief  mate,  he  told  the  latter  there  was 
"just  one  minute  when  he  would  not  have  given  a  ship's  bis 
cuit  for  both  vessels,  nor  much  more  for  their  cargoes.  A  man 
must  have  a  small  regard  for  human  souls,  when  he  puts  them, 
and  their  bodies  too,  in  so  much  jeopardy  for  a  little  tobacco." 

Throughout  the  day  it  blew  furiously,  for  the  ship  was  running 
into  the  gale,  a  phenomenon  that  we  shall  explain,  as  most  of  our 
readers  may  not  comprehend  it.  All  gales  of  wind  commence 
to  leeward  ;  o:-,  in  other  words,  the  wind  is  first  f<>lt  at  some 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


170 


particular  point,  and  later,  as  we  recede  from  that  point,  pro 
ceeding  in  the  direction  from  which  the  wind  blows.  It  is 
always  severest  near  the  point  where  it  commences,  appearing 
to  diminish  in  violence  as  it  recedes.  This,  therefore,  is  an  ad 
ditional  motive  for  mariners  to  lie-to,  instead  of  scudding,  since 
the  latter  not  only  carries  them  far  from  their  true  course,  but 
it  carries  them  also  nearer  to  the  scene  of  the  greatest  fury  of 
the  elements. 


130  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

"Good  boatswain,  have  care." 

TBMPEST. 

AT  sunset,  the  speck  presented  by  the  reefed  topsail  of  the 
corvette  had  sunk  beneath  the  horizon,  in  the  southern  board, 
and  that  ship  was  seen  no  longer.  Several  islands  had  been 
passed,  looking  tranquil  and  smiling  amid  the  fury  of  the  tem 
pest  ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  haul  up  for  any  one  among  them. 
The  most  that  could  be  done  was  to  keep  the  ship  dead  before 
it,  to  prevent  her  broach ing-to,  and  to  have  a  care  that  she 
kept  clear  of  those  rocks  and  of  that  bottom,  for  which  Nanny 
Sidley  had  so  much  pined. 

Familiarity  with  the  scene  began  to  lessen  the  apprehensions 
of  the  passengers,  and  as  scudding  is  an  easy  process  for  those 
who  are  liable  to  sea-sickness,  ere  another  night  shut  in,  the 
principal  concern  was  connected  with  the  course  the  ship  was 
compelled  to  steer.  The  wind  had  so  far  hauled  to  the  west 
ward  as  to  render  it  certain  that  the  coast  of  Africa  would  lie 
in  their  way,  if  obliged  to  scud  many  hours  longer;  for  Cap 
tain  Truck's  observations  actually  placed  him  to  the  southward 
and  eastward  of  the  Canary  Islands.  This  was  a  long  distance 
out  of  his  course,  but  the  rate  of  sailing  rendered  the  fact  suffi 
ciently  clear. 

This,  too,  was  the  precise  time  when  the  Montauk  felt  the 
weight  of  the  tempest,  or  rather,  when  she  experienced  the 
heaviest  portion  of  that  which  it  was  her  fate  to  feel.  Lucky 
was  it  for  the  good  ship  that  she  had  not  been  in  this  latitude 
a  few  hours  earlier,  when  it  had  blown  something  very  like  a 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  181 

hurricane.  The  responsibility  and  danger  of  his  situation  now 
began  seriously  to  disturb  Captain  Truck,  although  he  kept  his 
apprehensions  to  himself,  like  a  prudent  officer.  All  his  calcu 
lations  were  gone  over  again  with  the  utmost  care,  the  rate  of* 
sailing  was  cautiously  estimated,  and  the  result  showed  that  ten 
or  fifteen  hours  more  would  inevitably  produce  shipwreck  of 
another  sort,  unless  the  wind  moderated. 

Fortunately,  the  gale  began  to  break  about  midnight.  The 
wind  still  blew  tremendously,  but  it  was  less  steadily,  and  there 
were  intervals  of  half-an-hour  at  a  time  when  the  ship  might 
have  carried  much  more  canvas,  even  on  a  bow-line :  of  course 
her  speed  abated  in  proportion,  and,  after  the  day  had  dawned, 
a  long  and  anxious  survey  from  aloft  showed  no  land  to  the 
eastward.  When  perfectly  assured  of  this  important  fact,  Cap 
tain  Truck  rubbed  his  hands  with  delight,  ordered  a  coal  for 
his  cigar,  and  began  to  abuse  Saunders  about  the  quality  of  the 
coffee  during  the  blow. 

"  Let  there  be  something  creditable  this  morning,  sir,"  added 
the  captain,  after  a  sharp  rebuke  ;  "  and  remember,  we  are  down 
here  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  country  of  your  forefathers, 
where  a  man  ought,  in  reason,  to  be  on  his  good  behavior.  If 
I  hear  any  more  of  your  washy  compounds,  I'll  put  you  ashore, 
and  let  you  run  naked  a  summer  or  two  with  the  monkeys  and 
orang-outangs." 

"  I  endeavor,  on  all  proper  occasions,  to  render  myself  agree 
able  to  you,  Captain  Truck,  and  to  all  those  with  whom  I  have 
the  happiness  to  sail,"  returned  the  steward ;  "  but  the  coffee, 
sir,  cannot  be  very  good,  sir,  in  such  weather,  sir.  I  do  diwine 
that  the  wind  must  blow  away  its  flavor,  for  I  am  ready  to  con 
fess  it  has  not  been  as  odorous  as  it  usually  is,  when  I  have  had 
the  honor  to  prepare  it.  As  for  Africa,  sir,  I  flatter  myself, 
Captain  Truck,  that  you  esteem  me  too  highly  to  believe  I  am 
suited  to  consort  or  resort  with  the  ill-formed  and  inedicated 
men  who  inhabit  that  wild  country.  I  misremember  whether 
my  ancestors  came  from  this  part  of  the  world  or  not ;  but  if 


182  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

they  did,  sir,  my  habits  and  profession  entirely  unqualify  me 
for  their  company,  I  hope.  I  know  I  am  only  a  poor  steward, 
sir,  but  you  '11  please  to  recollect  that  your  great  Mr.  Vattel  was 
nothing  but  a  cook." 

"  D — 11  the  fellow,  Leach  j  I  believe  it  is  this  conceit  that  has 
spoiled  the  coffee  the  last  day  or  two  !  Do  you  suppose  it  can 
be  true  that  a  great  writer  like  this  man  could  really  be  no 
better  than  a  cook,  or  was  that  Englishman  roasting  me,  by 
way  of  showing  how  cooking  was  done  ashore  ?  If  it  were  not 
for  the  testimony  of  the  ladies,  I  might  believe  it ;  but  they 
would  not  share  in  such  an  indecent  trick.  What  are  you  ly- 
ing-by  for,  sir  ?  go  to  your  pantry,  and  remember  that  the  gale 
is  broken,  and  we  shall  all  sit  down  to  table  this  morning,  as 
keen-set  as  a  party  of  your  brethren  ashore  here,  who  had  a 
broiled  baby  for  breakfast." 

Saunders,  who  ex-officw  might  be  said  to  be  trained  in  simi 
lar  lectures,  went  pouting  to  his  work,  taking  care  to  expend  a 
proper  part  of  his  spleen  on  Mr.  Toast,  who,  quite  as  a  matter 
of  course,  suffered  in  proportion  as  his  superior  was  made  to 
feel,  in  his  own  person,  the  weight  of  Captain  Truck's  authority. 
It  is  perhaps  fortunate  that  nature  points  out  this  easy  and  self- 
evident  mode  of  relief,  else  would  the  rude  habits  of  a  ship  some 
times  render  the  relations  between  him  who  orders  and  him 
whose  duty  it  is  to  obey,  too  nearly  approaching  to  the  intol 
erable. 

The  captain's  squalls,  however,  were  of  short  duration,  and 
on  the  present  occasion  he  was  soon  in  even  a  better  humor 
than  common,  as  every  minute  gave  the  cheering  assurance 
that  the  tempest  was  fast  coming  to  a  close.  He  had  finished 
his  third  cigar,  and  was  actually  issuing  his  orders  to  turn  the 
reef  out  of  the  foresail,  and  to  set  the  maintop-sail  close  reefed, 
when  most  of  the  passengers  appeared  on  deck,  for  the  first 
time  that  morning. 

"  Here  we  are,  gentlemen !"  cried  Captain  Truck,  in  the  way 
of  salutation,  "  nearer  to  Guinea  than  I  could  wish,  with  every 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  183 

prospect  now  of  soon  working  our  way  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  possibly  of  making  a  thirty  or  thirty-five  days'  passage  of 
it  yet.  We  have  this  sea  to  quiet ;  and  then  I  hope  to  show 
you  what  the  Montauk  has  in  her,  besides  her  passengers  and 
cargo.  I  think  we  have  now  got  rid  of  the  Foam,  as  well  as  of 
the  gale.  I  did  believe,  at  one  time,  her  people  might  be  walk 
ing  and  wading  on  the  coast  of  Cornwall ;  but  I  now  believe 
they  are  more  likely  to  try  the  sands  of  the  great  Desert  of  Sa 
hara." 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped  they  have  escaped  the  latter  calamity,  as 
fortunately  as  they  escaped  the  first,"  observed  Mr.  Effingham. 

"  It  may  be  so ;  but  the  wind  has  got  round  to  nor'west,  and 
has  not  been  sighing  these  last  twelve  hours.  Cape  Blanco  is 
not  a  hundred  leagues  from  us,  and,  at  the  rate  he  was  travel 
ling,  that  gentleman  with  the  speaking-trumpet  may  now  be 
philosophizing  over  the  fragments  of  his  ship,  unless  he  had 
the  good  sense  to  haul  off  more  to  the  westward  than  he  was 
steering  when  last  seen.  His  ship  should  have  been  christened 
the  '  Scud,'  instead  of  the  '  Foam.'  " 

Every  one  expressed  the  hope  that  the  ship,  to  which  their 
own  situation  was  fairly  enough  to  be  ascribed,  might  escape 
this  calamity ;  and  all  faces  regained  their  cheerfulness  as  they 
saw  the  canvas  fall,  in  sign  that  their  own  danger  was  past. 
So  rapidly,  indeed,  did  the  gale  now  abate,  that  the  topsails 
were  hardly  hoisted  before  the  order  was  given  to  shake  out 
another  reef,  and  within  an  hour  all  the  heavier  canvas  that 
was  proper  to  carry  before  the  wind  was  set,  solely  with  a  view 
to  keep  the  ship  steady.  The  sea  was  still  fearful,  and  Captain 
Truck,  found  himself  obliged  to  keep  off  from  his  course,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  having  his  decks  swept. 

The  racing  with  the  crest  of  the  waves,  however,  was  quite 
done,  for  the  seas  soon  cease  to  comb  and  break,  after  the  force 
of  the  wind  is  expended. 

At  no  time  is  the  motion  of  the  vessel  more  unpleasant,  or, 
indeed,  more  dangerous,  than  in  the  interval  that  occurs  be-  i 


184  HO  ME  WARD     BOUND. 

tween  the  ceasing  of  a  violent  gale,  and  the  springing  up  of  a 
new  wind.  The  ship  is  unmanageable,  and  falling  into  the 
troughs  of  the  sea,  the  waves  break  in  upon  her  decks,  often 
doing  serious  injury,  while  the  spars  and  rigging  are  put  to  the 
severest  trial  by  the  sudden  and  violent  surges  which  they  have 
to  withstand.  Of  all  this  Captain  Truck  was  fully  aware,  and 
when  he  was  summoned  to  breakfast  he  gave  many  cautions 
to  Mr.  Leach  before  quitting  the  deck. 

"  I  do  not  like  the  new  shrouds  we  got  up  in  London,"  he 
said,  "  for  the  rope  has  stretched  in  this  gale  in  a  way  to  throw 
too  much  strain  on  the  old  rigging ;  so  see  all  ready  for  taking 
a  fresh  drag  on  them,  as  soon  as  the  people  have  breakfasted. 
Mind  and  keep  her  out  of  the  trough,  sir,  and  watch  every 
roller  that  you  find  comes  tumbling  upon  us." 

After  repeating  these  injunctions  in  different  ways,  looking 
to  windward  some  time,  and  aloft  five  or  six  minutes,  Captain 
Truck  finally  went  below,  to  pass  judgment  on  Mr.  Saunders' 
coffee.  Once  in  his  throne,  at  the  head  of  the  long  table,  the 
worthy  master,  after  a  proper  attention  to  his  passengers,  set 
about  the  duty  of  restoration,  as  the  steward  affectedly  called 
eating,  with  a  zeal  that  never  failed  him  on  such  occasions.  He 
had  just  swallowed  a  cup  of  the  coffee,  about  which  he  had 
lectured  Saunders,  when  a  heavy  flap  of  the  sails  announced 
the  sudden  failure  of  the  wind. 

"That  is  bad  news,"  said  Captain  Truck,  listening  to  the  flut 
tering  blows  of  the  canvas,  against  the  masts.  "  I  never  like  to 
hear  a  ship  shaking  its  wings  while  there  is  a  heavy  sea  on  ; 
but  this  is  better  than  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  and  so,  my  dear 
young  lady,  let  me  recommend  to  you  a  cup  of  this  coffee, 
which  is  flavored  this  morning  by  a  dread  of  orang-outangs,  as 
Mr.  Saunders  will  have  the  honor  to  inform  you — 

A  jerk  of  the  whole  ship  was  followed  by  a  report  like  that 
made  by  a  musket.  Captain  Truck  rose,  and  stood  leaning  on 
one  hand  in  a  bent  attitude,  expectation  and  distrust  intensely 
portrayed  in  every  feature.  Another  helpless  roll  of  the  ship 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  185 

succeeded,  and  three  or  four  similar  reports  were  immediately 
heard,  as  if  largo  ropes  had  parted  in  quick  succession.  A 
rending  of  wood  followed,  and  then  came  a  chaotic  crash  in 
which  the  impending  heavens  seemed  to  fall  on  the  devoted 
ship.  Most  of  the  passengers  shut  their  eyes,  and  when  they 
were  opened  again,  or  a  moment  afterwards,  Mr.  Truck  had 
vanished. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  describe  the  confusion  that  fol 
lowed.  Eve  was  frightened,  but  she  behaved  well,  though 
Mademoiselle  Viefville  trembled  so  much  as  to  require  the  as 
sistance  of  Mr.  Effingham. 

"  We  have  lost  our  masts,"  John  Effingham  coolly  remarked  ; 
"  an  accident  that  will  not  be  likely  to  be  very  dangerous, 
though  by  prolonging  the  passage  a  month  or  two,  it  may  have 
the  merit  of  making  this  good  company  more  intimately  ac 
quainted  with  each  other,  a  pleasure  for  which  we  cannot 
express  too  much  gratitude." 

Eve  implored  his  forbearance  by  a  glance,  for  she  saw  his 
eye  was  unconsciously  directed  towards  Mr.  Monday  and  Mr. 
Dodge,  for  both  of  whom  she  knew  her  kinsman  entertained  an 
incurable  dislike.  His  words,  however,  explained  the  catastro 
phe,  and  most  of  the  men  hastened  on  deck  to  assure  them 
selves  of  the  fact. 

John  Effingham  was  right.  The  new  rigging  which  had 
stretched  so  much  during  the  gale,  had  permitted  too  much  of 
the  strain,  in  the  tremendous  rolls  of  the  ship,  to  fall  upon  the 
other  ropes.  The  shroud  most  exposed  had  parted  first ;  three  or 
four  more  followed  in  succession,  and  before  there  was  time  to  se 
cure  any  thing,  the  remainder  had  gone  together,  and  the  main 
mast  had  broken  at  a  place  where  a  defect  was  now  seen  in  its 
heart.  Falling  over  the  side,  the  latter  had  brought  down  with 
it  the  mizzen-mast  and  all  its  hamper,  and  as  much  of  the  fore 
mast  as  stood  above  the  top.  In  short,  of  all  the  complicated 
tracery  of  ropes,  the  proud  display  of  spars,  and  the  broad 
folds  of  canvas  that  had  so  lately  overshadowed  the  deck  of  the 


186  H  O  M  E  W  A  H  D     B  O  U  N  D  . 

Montauk,  the  mutilated  foremast,  the  foreyard  and  sail,  and  the 
fallen  head-gear  alone  remained.  All  the  rest  either  cumbered 
the  deck,  or  was  beating  against  the  side  of  the  ship,  in  the 
water. 

The  hard,  red,  weather-beaten  face  of  Captain  Truck  was  ex 
pressive  of  mortification  and  concern,  for  a  single  instant,  when 
his  eye  glanced  over  the  ruin  we  have  just  described.  His  mind 
then  seemed  made  up  to  the  calamity,  and  he  ordered  Toast  to 
bring  him  a  coal  of  fire,  with  which  he  quietly  lighted  a  cigar. 

"  Here  is  a  category,  and  be  d — d  to  it,  Mr.  Leach,"  he  said, 
after  taking  a  single  whiff.  "  You  are  doing  quite  right,  sir  ; 
cut  away  the  wreck  and  force  the  ship  free  of  it,  or  we  shall 
have  some  of  those  sticks  poking  themselves  through  the 
planks.  I  always  thought  the  chandler  in  London,  into  whose 

hands  the  agent  has  fallen,  was  a rogue,  and  now  I  know 

it  well  enough  to  swear  to  it.  Cut  away,  carpenter,  and  get  us 
rid  of  all  this  thumping  as  soon  as  possible.  A  very  capital 
vessel,  Mr.  Monday,  or  she  would  have  rolled  the  pumps  out 
of  her,  and  capsized  the  galley." 

ISTo  attempt  being  made  to  save  any  thing,  the  wreck  was 
floating  astern  in  five  minutes,  and  the  ship  was  fortunately  ex 
tricated  from  this  new  hazard.  Mr.  Truck,  in  spite  of  his 
acquired  coolness,  looked  piteously  at  all  that  gallant  hamper, 
in  which  he  had  so  lately  rejoiced,  as  yard-arm,  cross-trees, 
tressel-trees,  and  tops  rose  on  the  summits  of  swells  or  settled 
in  the  troughs,  like  whales  playing  their  gambols.  But  habit 
is  a  seaman's  philosophy,  and  in  no  one  feature  is  his  character 
more  respectable  than  in  that  manliness  which  disinclines  him 
to  mourn  over  a  misfortune  that  is  inevitable. 

The  Montauk  now  resembled  a  tree  stripped  of  its  branches, 
or  a  courser  crippled  in  his  sinews  ;  her  glory  had,  in  a  great 
degree,  departed.  The  foremast  alone  remained,  and  of  this 
even  the  head  was  gone,  a  circumstance  of  which  Captain  Truck 
complained  more  than  of  any  other,  as,  to  use  his  own  expres 
sions,  "it  destroyed  the  symmetry  of  the  spar,  which  had 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  187 

proved  itself  to  be  a  good  stick."  What,  however,  was  of  more 
real  importance,  it  rendered  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  get 
up  a  spare  topmast  forward.  As  both  the  main  and  mizzen- 
inast  had  gone  quite  near  the  deck,  this  was  almost  the  only 
tolerably  easy  expedient  that  remained ;  and,  within  an  hour  of 
the  accident,  Mr.  Truck  announced  his  intentions  to  stand  MS 
far  south  as  he  could  to  strike  the  trades,  and  then  to  make  a 
fair  wind  of  it  across  the  Atlantic,  unless,  indeed,  he  might 
be  able  to  fetch  into  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands,  where  it 
would  be  possible,  perhaps,  to  get  something  like  a  new 
outfit. 

"  All  I  now  ask,  my  dear  young  lady,"  he  said  to  Eve,  who 
ventured  on  deck  to  look  at  the  desolation,  as  soon  as  the  wreck 
was  cut  adrift,  "  all  I  now  ask,  my  dear  young  lady,  is  an  end 
to  westerly  winds  for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  I  will  promise  to 
place  you  all  in  America  yet,  in  time  to  eat  your  Christmas  din 
ner.  I  do  not  think  Sir  George  will  shoot  many  white  bears 
among  the  Rocky  Mountains  this  year,  but  then  there  will  be 
so  many  more  left  for  another  season.  The  ship  is  in  a  cate 
gory,  and  he  will  be  an  impudent  scoundrel  who  denies  it;  but 
worse  categories  than  this  have  been  reasoned  out  of  counte 
nance.  All  head-sail  is  not  a  convenient  show  of  cloth  to  claw 
off  a  lee-shore  with  ;  but  I  still  hope  to  escape  the  misfortune  of 
laying  eyes  on  the  coast  of  Africa." 

"  Are  we  far  from  it  ?"  asked  Eve,  who  sufficiently  understood 
the  danger  of  being  on  an  uninhabitable  shore  in  their  present 
situation  ;  one  in  which  it  was  vain  to  seek  for  a  port.  "  I 
would  rather  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  any  other  land,  I  think, 
than  that  of  Africa." 

"  Especially  Africa  between  the  Canaries  and  Cape  Blanco," 
returned  Captain  Truck,  with  an  expressive  shrug.  "  More  hos 
pitable  regions  exist,  certainly  ;  for,  if  accounts  are  to  be  credit 
ed,  the  honest  people  alongshore  never  get  a  Christian  that 
they  do  not  mount  him  on  a  camel,  and  trot  him  through  the 
sands  a  thousand  miles  or  so,  under  a  hot  sun,  with  a  sort  of 


188  HOMEWARDBOUND. 

haggis  for  food,  that  would  go  nigh  to  take  away  even  a  Scotch 
man's  appetite.'"1 

"  And  you  do  not  tell  us  how  far  we  are  from  this  frightful 
land,  Mons.  le  Capitaine  ?"  inquired  Mademoiselle  Viefville. 

"  In  ten  minutes  you  shall  know,  ladies,  for  I  am  about  to 
observe  for  the  longitude.  It  is  a  little  late,  but  it  may  yet  be 
done/' 

"  And  we  may  iv.y  on  the  fidelity  of  your  information  ?" 

u  On  the  honor  of  a  sailor  and  a  man." 

The  ladies  were  silent,  while  Mr.  Truck  proceeded  to  get  the 
sun  and  the  time.  As  soon  as  he  had  run  through  his  calcula 
tions,  he  came  to  them  with  a  face  in  which  the  eye  was  roving, 
though  it  was  still  good-humored  and  smiling. 

"  And  the  result  ?"  said  Eve. 

"  Is  not  quite  as  flattering  as  I  could  wish.  We  are  mate 
rially  within  a  degree  of  the  coast ;  but,  as  the  wind  is  gone,  or 
nearly  so,  we  may  hope  to  find  a  shift  that  will  shove  us  far 
ther  from  the  land.  And  now  I  have  dealt  frankly  with  yon, 
let  me  beg  you  will  keep  the  secret,  for  my  people  will  be 
dreaming  of  Turks,  instead  of  working,  if  they  know  the 
fact." 

It  required  no  great  observation  to  discover  that  Captain 
Truck  was  far  from  satisfied  with  the  position  of  his  ship. 
Without  any  after-sail,  and  almost  without  the  means  of  mak 
ing  any,  it  was  idle  to  think  of  hauling  off  from  the  land,  more 
especially  against  the  heavy  sea  that  was  still  rolling  in  from  the 
northwest ;  and  his  present  object  was  to  make  the  Cape  de 
V erdes,  before  reaching  which  he  would  be  certain  to  meet  the 
trades,  and  where,  of  course,  there  would  be  some  chance  of 
repairing  damages.  His  apprehensions  would  have  been  much 
less  were  the  ship  a  degree  further  west,  as  the  prevailing  winds 
in  this  part  of  the  ocean  are  from  the  northward  and  eastward ; 
but  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  force  a  ship  that  distance  under  a 
foresail,  the  only  regular  sail  that  now  remained  in  its  place.  It 
is  true,  he  had  some  of  the -usual  expedients  of  seamen  at  his 


H  0  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  U  .  189 

command,  and  the  people  were  immediately  set  about  them  ; 
but,  in  consequence  of  the  principal  spars  having  gone  so  near 
the  decks,  it  became  exceedingly  difficult  to  rig  jury-masts. 

Something  must  be  attempted,  however,  and  the  spare  spars 
were  got  out,  and  all  the  necessary  preparations  were  com 
menced,  in  order  that  they  might  be  put  into  their  places  and 
rigged,  as  well  as  circumstances  would  allow.  As  soon  as  the 
sea  went  down,  and  the  steadiness  of  the  ship  would  permit, 
Mr.  Leach  succeeded  in  getting  up  an  awkward  lower  studding- 
sail,  and  a  sort  of  staysail  forward,  and  with  these  additions  to 
their  canvas,  the  ship  was  brought  to  head  south,  with  the  wind 
light  at  the  westward.  The  sea  was  greatly  diminished  about 
noon  ;  but  a  mile  an  hour,  for  those  who  had  so  long  a  road 
before  them,  and  who  were  so  near  a  coast  that  was  known  to 
be  fearfully  inhospitable,  was  a  cheerless  progress,  and  the  cry 
of  "  Sail,  ho  !"  early  in  the  afternoon,  diffused  a  general  joy  in 
the  Montauk. 

The  stranger  was  made  to  the  southward  and  eastward,  and 
was  standing  on  a  course  that  must  bring  her  quite  near  to 
their  own  track,  as  the  Montauk  then  headed.  The  wind  was 
so  light,  however,  that  Captain  Truck  gave  it  as  his  opinion  they 
could  not  speak  until  night  had  set  in. 

"Unless  the  coast  has  brought  him  up,  yonder  flaunting 
gentleman,  who  seems  to  have  had  better  luck  with  his  light 
canvas  than  ourselves,  must  be  the  Foam,"  he  said.  "  Tobacco, 
or  no  tobacco,  bride  or  bridegroom,  the  fellow  has  us  at  last, 
and  all  the  consolation  that  is  left  is,  that  we  shall  be  much 
obliged  to  him,  now,  if  he  will  carry  us  to  Portsmouth,  or  into  any 
other  Christian  haven.  We  have  shown  him  what  a  kettle- 
bottom  can  do  before  the  wind,  and  now  let  him  give  us  a  tow 
to  windward  like  a  generous  antagonist.  That  is  what  I  call 
Vattel,  my  dear  young  lady." 

"  If  he  do  this,  he  will  indeed  prove  himself  a  generous  ad 
versary,"  said  Eve,  "and  we  shall  be  certain  to  speak  well  of 
his  humanity,  whatever  we  may  think  of  his  obstinacy." 


190  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  the  ship  in  sight  is  the  corvette  ?"  asked 
Paul  Blunt. 

"  Who  else  can  it  be  ? — Two  vessels  are  quite  sufficient  to  be 
jammed  down  here  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  we  know  that 
the  Englishman  must  be  somewhere  to  leeward  of  us  ;  though, 
I  will  confess,  I  had  believed  him  much  farther,  if  not  plump 
up  among  the  Mohammedans,  beginning  to  reduce  to  a  feather 
weight,  like  Captain  Riley,  who  came  out  with  just  his  skin 
and  bones,  after  a  journey  across  the  desert." 

"  I  do  not  think  those  topgallant-sails  have  the  symmetry  of 
the  canvas  of  a  ship-of  war." 

Captain  Truck  looked  steadily  at  the  young  man  an  instant, 
as  one  regards  a  sound  criticism,  and  then  he  turned  his  eye 
towards  the  object  of  which  they  were  speaking. 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  he  rejoined,  after  a  moment  of  examin 
ation  ;  "  and  I  have  had  a  lesson  in  my  own  trade  from  one 
young  enough  to  be  my  son.  The  stranger  is  clearly  no  cruiser, 
and  as  there  is  no  port  in-shore  of  us  anywhere  near  this  lati 
tude,  he  is  probably  some  trader  who  has  been  driven  down 
here,  like  ourselves." 

"  And  I'm  very  sure,  captain,"  put  in  Sir  George  Temple- 
more,  "  we  ought  to  rejoice  sincerely  that,  like  ourselves,  he  has 
escaped  shipwreck.  For  my  part,  I  pity  the  poor  wretches  on 
board  the  Foam  most  sincerely,  and  could  almost  wish  myself  a 
Catholic,  that  one  might  yet  offer  up  sacrifices  in  their  be 
half." 

"  You  have  shown  yourself  a  Christian  throughout  all  that 
affair,  Sir  George,  and  I  shall  not  forget  your  handsome  offers 
to  befriend  the  ship,  rather  than  let  us  fall  into  the  jaws  of  the 
Philistines.  We  were  in  a  category  more  than  once,  with  that 
nimble-footed  racer  in  our  wake,  and  you  were  the  man,  Sir 
George,  who  manifested  the  most  hearty  desire  to  get  us  out." 

**  I  ever  feel  an  interest  in  the  ship  in  which  I  embark,"  re 
turned  the  gratified  baronet,  who  was  not  displeased  at  hearing 
his  liberality  so  openly  commended  ;  "  and  I  would  cheerfully 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  191 

have  given  a  thousand  pounds  in  preference  to  being  taken.  I 
rather  think,  now,  that  is  the  true  spirit  for  a  sportsman !" 

"  Or  for  an  admiral,  my  good  sir.  To  be  frank  with  you, 
Sir  George,  when  I  first  had  the  honor  of  your  acquaintance, 
I  did  not  think  you  had  so  much  in  you.  There  was  a  sort  of 
English  attention  to  small  wares,  a  species  of  knee-buckleism 
about  your  debutt,  as  Mr.  Dodge  calls  it,  that  made  me  distrust 
your  being  the  whole-souled  and  one-idea'd  man  I  find  you 
really  are." 

"  Oh  !  I  do  like  my  comforts,"  said  Sir  George,  laughing. 

"That  you  do,  and  I  am  only  surprised  you  don't  smoke. 
Now,  Mr.  Dodge,  your  room-mate,  there,  tells  me  you  have  six- 
and-thirty  pair  of  breeches  !" 

"  I  have — yes,  indeed,  I  have.  One  would  wish  to  go  abroad 
decently  clad." 

"  Well !  if  it  should  be  our  luck  to  travel  in  the  deserts,  your 
wardrobe  would  rig  out  a  whole  harem." 

"I  wish,  captain,  you  would  do  me  the  favor  to  step  into  our 
stateroom,  some  morning  ;  I  have  many  curious  things  I  should 
like  to  show  you.  A  set  of  razors,  in  particular, — and  a  dress 
ing-case — and  a  pair  of  patent  pistols — and  that  life-preserver 
that  you  admire  so  much,  Mr.  Dodge.  Mr.  Dodge  has  seen 
most  of  my  curiosities,  I  believe,  and  will  tell  you  some  of  them 
are  really  worth  a  moment's  examination." 

''Yes,  captain,  I  must  say,"  observed  Mr.  Dodge, — for  this 
conversation  was  held  apart  between  the  three,  the  mate  keep 
ing  an  eye  the  while  on  the  duty  of  the  ship,  for  habit  had  given 
Mr.  Truck  the  faculty  of  driving  his. people  while  he  entertained 
his  passengers — "  Yes,  captain,  I  must  say  I  have  met  no  gen 
tleman  who  is  better  supplied  with  necessaries,  than  my  friend, 
Sir  George.  But  English  gentlemen  are  curious  in  such  things, 
and  I  admit  that  I  admire  their  ingenuity." 

"  Particularly  in  breeches,  Mr.  Dodge.  Have  you  coats  to 
match,  Sir  George  ?" 

"  Certainly,  sir.     One  would  be  a  little  absurd  in  his  shirt 


192  H  O  M  E  W  A  K  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

sleeves.  I  wish,  captain,  we  could  make  Mr.  Dodge  a  little  less 
of  a  republican.  I  find  him  a  most  agreeable  room-mate,  but 
rather  annoying  on  the  subject  of  kings  and  princes." 

"  You  stick  up  for  the  people,  Mr.  Dodge,  or  to  the  old  cate 
gory  ?" 

"  On  that  subject,  Sir  George  and  I  shall  never  agree,  for  he 
is  obstinately  monarchical ;  but  I  tell  him  we  shall  treat  him 
none  the  worse  for  that,  when  he  gets  among  us.  He  has  pro 
mised  me  a  visit  in  our  part  of  the  country,  and  I  have  pledged 
myself  to  his  being  unqualifiedly  well  received ;  and  I  think  I 
know  the  whole  meaning  of  a  pledge." 

"  I  understand  Mr.  Dodge,"  pursued  the  baronet,  "  that  he  is 
the  editor  of  a  public  journal,  in  which  he  entertains  his  readers 
with  an  account  of  his  adventures  and  observations  during  his 
travels.  'The  Active  Inquirer,'  is  it  not,  Mr.  Dodge?" 

"  That  is  the  name,  Sir  George.  '  The  Active  Inquirer'  is  the 
present  name,  though  when  we  supported  Mr.  Adams  it  was 
called  '  The  Active  Enquirer,'  with  an  E." 

"  A  distinction  without  a  difference  ;  I  like  that,"  interrupted 
Captain  Truck.  "This  is  the  second  time  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  sail  with  Mr.  Dodge,  and  a  more  active  inquirer  never 
put  foot  in  a  ship,  though  I  did  not  know  the  use  he  put 
his  information  to  before.  It  is  all  in  the  way  of  trade,  I 
find." 

"  Mr.  Dodge  claims  to  belong  to  a  profession,  captain,  and  is 
quite  above  trade.  He  tells  me  many  things  have  occurred  on 
board  this  ship,  since  we  sailed,  that  will  make  very  eligible 
paragraphs." 

"  The  d he  does  ! — I  should  like  particularly  well,  Mr. 

Dodge,  to  know  what  you  will  find  to  say  concerning  this  cate 
gory  in  which  the  Montauk  is  placed." 

"  Oh  !  captain,  no  fear  of  me,  when  you  are  concerned.  You 
know  I  am  a  friend,  and  you  have  no  cause  to  apprehend  any 
thing ;  though  I'll  not  answer  for  everybody  else  on  board ;  for 
there  are  passengers  in  this  ship  to  whom  I  have  decided  an- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  193 

tipatliies,  and  whose  deportment  meets  with  my  unqualified  dis 
approbation." 

"  And  you  intend  to  paragraph  them  ?" 

Mr.  Dodge  was  now  swelling  with  the  conceit  of  a  vulgar 
and  inflated  man,  who  not  only  fancies  himself  in  possession  of 
a  power  that  others  dread,  but  was  so  far  blinded  to  his  own 
qualities  as  to  think  his  opinion  of  importance  to  those  whom 
he  felt,  in  the  minutest  fibre  of  his  envious  and  malignant 
system,  to  be  in  every  essential  his  superiors.  He  did  not  dare 
express  all  his  rancor,  while  he  was  unequal  to  suppressing  it 
entirely. 

"  These  Effinghams,  and  this  Mr.  Sharp,  and  that  Mr.  Blunt,"' 
he  muttered,  "  think  themselves  everybody's  betters  ;  but  we 
shall  see !  America  is  not  a  country  in  which  people  can  shut 
themselves  up  in  rooms,  and  fancy  they  are  lords  and  ladies." 

"  Bless  my  soul !"  said  Captain  Truck,  with  his  affected  sim 
plicity  of  manner ;  "  how  did  you  find  this  out,  Mr.  Dodge  ? 
What  a  thing  it  is,  Sir  George,  to  be  an  active  inquirer !" 

"  Oh  !  I  know  when  a  man  is  blown  up  with  notions  of  his 
own  importance.  As  for  Mr.  John  Effingham,  he  has  been  so 
long  abroad  that  he  has  forgotten  that  he  is  agoing  home  to  a 
country  of  equal  rights  !" 

"  Very  true,  Mr.  Dodge  ;  a  country  in  which  a  man  cannot 
shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  whenever  the  notion  seizes  him. 
This  is  the  spirit,  Sir  George,  to  make  a  great  nation,  and  you 
see  that  the  daughter  is  likely  to  prove  worthy  of  the  old  lady. 
But,  my  dear  sir,  are  you  quite  sure  that  Mr.  John  Effingham 
has  absolutely  so  high  a  sentiment  in  his  own  favor.  It  would 
be  awkward  business  to  make  a  blunder  in  such  a  serious  mat 
ter,  and  murder  a  paragraph  for  nothing.  You  should  remem 
ber  the  mistake  of  the  Irishman !" 

"  What  was  that  ?"  asked  the  baronet,  who  was  completely 
mystified  by  the  indomitable  gravity  of  Captain  Truck,  whoso 
character  might  be  said  to  be  actually  formed  by  the  long  habit 
of  treating  the  weaknesses  of  his  fellow-creatures  with  cool 


]  94  H  O  M  E  \V  A  R  D      B  U  U  X  D  . 

contempt.  "We  bear  many  good  things  at  our  club;  but  I  do 
not  remember  the  mistake  of  the  Irishman  ?" 

"  He  merely  mistook  the  drumming  in  his  own  ear,  for  some 
unaccountable  noise  that  disturbed  his  companions." 

Mr.  Dodge  felt  uncomfortable  ;  but  there  is  no  one  in  whom 
a  vulgar-minded  man  stands  so  much  in  awe  as  an  immovable 
quiz,  who  has  no  scruple  in  using  his  power.  He  shook  his 
head,  therefore,  in  a  menacing  manner,  and  affecting  to  have 
something  to  do  he  went  below,  leaving  the  baronet  and  cap 
tain  by  themselves. 

"  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  stubborn  friend  of  liberty,"  said  the  former, 
when  his  room-mate  was  out  of  hearing. 

"  That  is  he,  and  you  have  his  own  word  for  it.  He  has 
no  notion  of  letting  a  man  do  as  he  has  a  mind  to  !  We  are 
full  of  such  active  inquirers  in  America,  and  I  don't  care  how 
many  you  shoot  before  you  begin  upon  the  white  bears,  Sir 
George." 

"  But  it  would  be  more  gracious  in  the  Effinghams,  you 
must  allow,  captain,  if  they  shut  themselves  up  in  their  cabin 
less,  and  admitted  us  to  their  society  a  little  oftener.  I  am 
quite  of  Mr.  Dodge's  way  of  thinking,  that  exclusion  is  exces 
sively  odious." 

"  There  is  a  poor  fellow  in  the  steerage,  Sir  George,  to 
whom  I  have  given  a  piece  of  canvas  to  repair  a  damage  to 
his  mainsail,  who  would  say  the  same  thing,  did  he  know  of 
your  six-and-thirtys.  Take  a  cigar,  my  dear  sir,  and  smoke 
away  sorrow." 

"  Thankee,  captain  :  I  never  smoke.  We  never  smoke  at 
our  club,  though  some  of  us  go,  at  times,  to  the  divan  to  try  a 
chibouk." 

"  We  can't  all  have  cabins  to  ourselves,  or  no  one  would 
live  forward.  If  the  Effinghams  like  their  own  apartment,  I 
do  honestly  believe  it  is  for  a  reason  as  simple  as  that  it  is  the 
best  in  the  ship.  I'll  warrant  you,  if  there  were  a  better,  that 
they  would  be  ready  enough  to  change.  I  suppose  when  we 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  195 

get  iu,  Mr.  Dodge  will  honor  you  with  an  article  in  '  The  Active 
Inquirer  ?' " 

"  To  own  the  truth,  he  has  intimated  some  such  thing." 

"  And  why  not  ?  A  very  instructive  paragraph  might  be 
made  about  the  six-and-thirty  pair  of  breeches,  and  the  patent 
razors,  and  the  dressing-case,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  white  bears." 

Sir  George  now  began  to  feel  uncomfortable,  and  making 
a  few  unmeaning  remarks  about  the  late  accident,  he  disap 
peared. 

Captain  Truck,  who  never  smiled  except  at  the  corner  of 
his  left  eye,  turned  away,  and  began  rattling  off  his  people,  and 
throwing  in  a  hint  or  two  to  Saunders,  with  as  much  indiffer 
ence  as  if  he  were  a  firm  believer  in  the  unfailing  orthodoxy  of 
a  newspaper,  and  entertained  a  profound  respect  for  the  editor 
of  the  '  Active  Inquirer,'  in  particular. 

The  prognostic  of  the  master  concerning  the  strange  ship 
proved  true,  for  about  nine  at  night  she  came  within  hail,  and 
backed  her  maintop-sail.  This  vessel  proved  to  be  an  Ameri 
can  in  ballast,  bound  from  Gibraltar  to  New  York ;  a  return 
storeship  from  the  squadron  kept  in  the  Mediterranean.  She 
had  met  the  gale  to  the  westward  of  Madeira,  and  after  hold 
ing  on  as  long  as  possible,  had  also  been  compelled  to,  scud. 
According  to  the  report  of  her  officers,  the  Foam  had  run  in 
much  closer  to  the  coast  than  herself,  and  it  was  their  opinion 
she  was  lost.  Their  own  escape  was  owing  entirely  to  the 
wind's  abating,  for  they  had  actually  been  within  sight  of  the 
land,  though  having  received  no  injury,  they  had  been  able  to 
haul  off  in  season. 

Luckily,  this  ship  was  ballasted  with  fresh  water,  and  Cap 
tain  Truck  passed  the  night  in  negotiating  a  transfer  of  her 
steerage  passengers,  under  an  apprehension  that,  in  the  crippled 
state  of  his  own  vessel,  his  supplies  might  be  exhausted  before 
he  could  reach  America.  In  the  morning,  the  offer  of  being 
put  on  board  the  storeship  was  made  to  those  who  chose  to 


196  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

accept  it,  and  all  in  the  steerage,  \vith  most  from  the  cabin, 
profited  by  the  occasion  to  exchange  a  dismasted  vessel  for  one 
that  was,  at  least,  full  rigged.  Provisions  were  transferred  ac 
cordingly,  and  by  noon  next  day  the  stranger  made  sail  on  a 
wind,  the  sea  being  tolerably  smooth,  and  the  breeze  still 
ahead.  In  three  hours  she  was  out  of  sight  to  the  northward 
and  westward,  the  Montauk  holding  her  own  dull  course  to  the 
southward,  with  the  double  view  of  striking  the  trades,  or  of 
reaching  one  of  the  Cape  de  Yerdes. 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  197 


CHAPTER   XV. 

"  Steph.  His  forward  voice  now  is  to  speak  well  of  his  friend  ;  bis  backward  voice 
is  to  utter  foul  speeches,  and  to  detract." 

TEMPEST. 

THE  situation  of  the  Montauk  appeared  more  desolate  than 
ever,  after  the  departure  of  so  many  of  her  passengers.  So  long 
as  her  decks  were  thronged  there  was  an  air  of  life  about  her, 
that  served  to  lessen  disquietude,  but  now  that  she  was  left  by 
all  in  the  steerage,  and  by  so  many  in  the  cabins,  those  who  re 
mained  began  to  entertain  livelier  apprehensions  of  the  future. 
When  the  upper  sails  of  the  storeship  sunk  as  a  speck  in  the 
ocean,  Mr.  Effingham  regretted  that  he,  too,  had  not  overcome 
his  reluctance  to  a  crowded  and  inconvenient  cabin,  and  gone 
on  board  her,  with  his  own  party.  Thirty  years  before  he  would 
have  thought  himself  fortunate  in  finding  so  good  a  ship,  and 
accommodations  so  comfortable ;  but  habit  and  indulgence 
change  all  our  opinions,  and  he  had  now  thought  it  next  to  im 
possible  to  place  Eve  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville  in  a  situation 
that  was  so  common  to  those  who  travelled  by  sea  at  the  com 
mencement  of  the  century. 

Most  of  the  cabin  passengers,  as  has  just  been  stated,  decided 
differently,  none  remaining  but  the  Effinghams  and  their  party, 
Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Blunt,  Sir  George  Templemore,  Mr.  Dodge,  and 
Mr.  Monday.  Mr.  Effingham  had  been  influenced  by  the  su 
perior  comforts  of  the  packet,  and  his  hopes  that  a  speedy 
arrival  at  the  islands  would  enable  the  ship  to  refit,  in  time  to 
reach  America  almost  as  soon  as  the  dull-sailing  vessel  which 
had  just  left  them.  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt  had  both  ex- 


198  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

pressed  a  determination  to  share  his  fortunes,  which  was  indi 
rectly  saying  that  they  would  share  the  fortunes  of  his  daughter. 
John  Effingham  remained,  as  a  matter  of  course,  though  he  had 
made  a  proposition  to  the  stranger  to  tow  them  into  port,  an 
arrangement  that  failed  in  consequence  of  the  two  captains  dis 
agreeing  as  to  the  course  proper  to  be  steered,  as  well  as  to  a 
more  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  compensation,  the  stranger 
throwing  out  some  pretty  plain  hints  about  salvage ;  and  Mr. 
Monday  staying  from  an  inveterate  attachment  to  the  steward's 
stores,  more  of  which,  he  rightly  judged,  would  now  fall  to  his 
share  than  formerly. 

Sir  George  Templemore  had  gone  on  board  the  storeship, 
and  had  given  some  very  clear  demonstrations  of  an  intention 
to  transfer  himself  and  the  thirty-six  pair  of  breeches  to  that 
vessel;  but  on  examining  her  comforts,  and  particularly  the  con 
fined  place  in  which  he  should  be  compelled  to  stow  himself 
and  his  numerous  curiosities,  he  was  unequal  to  the  sacrifice. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  knew  an  entire  stateroom  would  now  fall 
to  his  share,  and  this  self-indulged  and  feeble-minded  young 
man  preferred  his  immediate  comfort,  and  the  gratification  of 
his  besetting  weakness,  to  his  safety. 

As  for  Mr.  Dodge,  he  had  the  American  mania  of  huiTy,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  propose  a  general  swarming,  as  soon  as 
it  was  known  the  stranger  could  receive  them.  During  the 
night,  he  had  been  actively  employed  in  fomenting  a  party  to 
"resolve"  that  prudence  required  the  Montauk  should  be  alto 
gether  abandoned,  and  even  after  this  scheme  failed,  he  had 
dwelt  eloquently  in  corners  (Mr.  Dodge  was  too  meek,  and  too 
purely  democratic,  ever  to  speak  aloud,  unless  under  the  shadow 
of  public  opinion),  on  the  propriety  of  Captain  Truck's  yielding 
his  own  judgment  to  that  of  the  majority.  He  might  as  well 
have  scolded  against  the  late  gale,  in  the  expectation  of  out- 
railing  the  tempest,  as  to  make  such  an  attempt  on  the  firm-set 
notions  of  the  old  seaman  concerning  his  duty ;  for  no  sooner 
was  the  thing  intimated  to  him  than  he  growled  a  denial  in  a 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  199 

tone  tli at  lie  was  little  accustomed  to  use  to  his  passengers,  and 
one  that  effectually  silenced  remonstrance.  When  these  two 
plans  had  failed,  Mr.  Dodge  endeavored  strenuously  to  show 
Sir  George  that  his  interests  and  safety  were  on  the  side  of  a 
removal ;  but  with  all  his  eloquence,  and  with  the  hold  that 
incessant  adulation  had  actually  given  him  on  the  mind  of  the 
other,  he  was  unable  to  overcome  his  love  of  ease,  and  chiefly 
the  passion  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  hundred  articles  of  com 
fort  and  curiosity  in  which  the  baronet  so  much  delighted. 
The  breeches  might  have  been  packed  in  a  trunk,  it  is  true, 
and  so  might  the  razors,  and  the  dressing-case,  and  the  pistols, 
and  most  of  the  other  things ;  but  Sir  George  loved  to  look  at 
them  daily,  and  as  many  as  possible  were  constantly  paraded 
before  his  eyes. 

To  the  surprise  of  every  one,  Mr.  Dodge,  on  finding  it  im 
possible  to  prevail  on  Sir  George  Templemore  to  leave  the 
packet,  suddenly  announced  his  own  intention  to  remain  also. 
Few  stopped  to  inquire  into  his  motives  in  the  hurry  of  such  a 
moment.  To  his  room-mate  he  affirmed  that  the  strong  friend 
ship  he  had  formed  for  him,  could  alone  induce  him  to  relin 
quish  the  hope  of  reaching  home  previously  to  the  autumn 
elections. 

Nor  did  Mr.  Dodge  greatly  color  the  truth  in  making  this 
statement.  He  was  an  American  demagogue  precisely  in  obe 
dience  to  those  feelings  and  inclinations  which  would  have 
made  him  a  courtier  anywhere  else.  It  is  true,  he  had  travel 
led,  or  thought  he  had  travelled,  in  a  diligence  with  a  countess 
or  two,  but  from  these  he  had  been  obliged  to  separate  early 
on  account  of  the  force  of  things;  while  here  he  had  got  a 
bona-fide  English  baronet  all  to  himself,  in  a  confined  state 
room,  and  his  imagination  revelled  in  the  glory  and  gratification 
of  such  an  acquaintance.  What  were  the  proud  and  distant 
Effingliams  to  Sir  George  Templemore  !  He  even  ascribed 
their  reserve  with  the  baronet  to  envy,  a  passion  of  whose  ex 
istence  he  had  very  lively  perceptions,  and  he  found  a  secret 


200  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

charm  in  being  shut  up  in  so  small  an  apartment  with  a  man 
who  could  excite  envy  in  an  Effingham.  Rather  than  abandon 
his  aristocratical  prize,  therefore,  whom  he  intended  to  exhibit 
to  all  his  democratic  friends  in  his  own  neighborhood,  Mr. 
Dodge  determined  to  abandon  his  beloved  hurry,  looking  for 
his  reward  in  the  future  pleasure  of  talking  of  Sir  George  Tem- 
plemore  and  his  curiosities,  and  of  his  sayings  and  his  jokes, 
in  the  circle  at  home.  Odd,  moreover,  as  it  may  seem,  Mr. 
Dodge  had  an  itching  desire  to  remain  with  the  Efringhams ; 
for  while  he  was  permitting  jealousy  and  a  consciousness  of  in 
feriority  to  beget  hatred,  he  was  willing  at  any  moment  to 
make  peace,  provided  it  could  be  done  by  a  frank  admission 
into  their  intimacy.  As  to  the  innocent  family  that  was  ren 
dered  of  so  much  account  to  the  happiness  of  Mr.  Dodge,  it 
seldom  thought  of  that  individual  at  all,  little  dreaming  of  its 
own  importance  in  his  estimation,  and  merely  acted  in  obedience 
to  its  own  cultivated  tastes  and  high  principles  in  disliking  his 
company.  It  fancied  itself,  in  this  particular,  the  master  of  its 
own  acts,  and  this  so  much  the  more,  that  with  the  reserve  of 
good-breeding  its  members  seldom  indulged  in  censorious  per 
sonal  remarks,  and  never  in  gossip. 

As  a  consequence  of  these  contradictory  feelings  of  Mr. 
Dodge,  and  of  the  fastidiousness  of  Sir  George  Templemore, 
the  interest  her  two  admirers  took  in  Eve,  the  devotion  of  Mr. 
Monday  to  sherry  and  champagne,  and  the  decision  of  Mr. 
Effingham,  these  persons  therefore  remained  the  sole  occupants 
of  the  cabins  of  the  Montauk.  Of  the  oi  polloi  who  had  left 
them,  we  have  hitherto  said  nothing,  because  this  separation 
was  to  remove  them  entirely  from  the  interest  of  our  incidents. 

If  we  were  to  say  that  Captain  Truck  did  not  feel  melancholy 
as  the  store-ship  sunk  beneath  the  horizon,  we  should  represent 
that  stout-hearted  mariner  as  more  stoical  than  he  actually 
was.  In  the  course  of  a  long  and  adventurous  professional  life. 
he  had  encountered  calamities  before,  but  he  had  never  before 
been  compelled  to  call  in  assistance  to  deliver  his  passengers  at 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  201 

the  stipulated  port,  since  he  had  commanded  a  packet.  He 
felt  the  necessity,  in  the  present  instance,  as  a  sort  of  stain 
upon  his  character  as  a  seaman,  though  in  fact  the  accident 
which  had  occurred  was  chiefly  to  be  attributed  to  a  concealed 
defect  in  the  mainmast.  The  honest  master  sighed  often, 
smoked  nearly  double  the  usual  number  of  cigars  in  the  course 
of  the  afternoon,  and  when  the  sun  went  down  gloriously  in 
the  distant  west,  he  stood  gazing  at  the  sky  in  melancholy 
silence,  as  long  as  any  of  the  magnificent  glory  that  accompa 
nies  the  decline  of  day  lingered  among  the  vapors  of  the  hori 
zon.  He  then  summoned  Saunders  to  the  quarter-deck,  where 
the  following  dialogue  took  place  between  them  : 

"  This  is  a  devil  of  a  category  to  be  in,  Master  Steward  !" 

"  Well,  he  might  be  better,  sir.  I  only  wish  the  good  butter 
may  endure  until  we  get  in." 

"  If  it  fail,  I  shall  go  nigh  to  see  you  clapt  into  the  State 
Prison,  or  at  least  into  that  Gothic  cottage  on  Blackwell's 
Island." 

"  There  is  an  end  to  all  things,  Captain  Truck,  if  you  please, 
sir,  even  to  butter.  I  presume,  sir,  Mr.  Vattel,  if  he  know  any 
tiling  of  cookery,  will  admit  that." 

"  Harkee,  Saunders,  if  you  ever  insinuate  again  that  Vattel 
belonged  to  the  coppers,  in  my  presence,  I'll  take  the  liberty  to 
land  you  on  the  coast  here,  where  you  may  amuse  yourself  in 
stewing  young  monkeys  for  your  own  dinner.  I  saw  you  aboard 
the  other  ship,  sir,  overhauling  her  arrangements ;  what  sort  of 
a  time  will  the  gentlemen  be  likely  to  have  in  her  ?" 

"  Atrocious,  sir  !  I  give  you  my  honor,  as  a  real  gentleman, 
sir.  Why,  would  you  believe  it,  Captain  Truck,  the  steward  is 
a  downright  nigger,  and  he  wears  ear-rings,  and  a  red  flannel 
shirt,  without  the  least  edication.  As  for  the  cook,  sir,  he 
wouldn't  pass  an  examination  for  Jemmy  Ducks  aboard  here, 
and  there  is  but  one  camboose,  and  one  set  of  coppers." 

"  Well,  the  steerage  passengers,  in  that  case,  will  fare  as  well 
as  the  cabin." 

9* 


202  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  the  cabin  as  bad  as  the  steerage  ;  and  for  my 
part,  I  abomernate  liberty  and  equality." 

"You  should  converse  with  Mr.  Dodge  on  that  subject; 
Master  Saunders,  and  let  the  hardest  fend  off  in  the  argument. 
May  I  inquire,  sir,  if  you  happen  to  remember  the  day  of  the 
week  ?" 

"Beyond  controversy,  sir;  to-morrow  will  be  Sunday,  Cap 
tain  Truck,  and  I  think  it  a  thousand  pities  we  have  not  an 
opportunity  to  solicit  the  prayers  and  praises  of  the  Church,  sir, 
in  our  behalf,  sir." 

"  If  to-morrow  will  be  Sunday,  to-day  must  be  Saturday, 
Mr.  Saunders,  unless  this  last  gale  has  deranged  the  calendar." 

"  Quite  naturally,  sir,  and  werry  justly  remarked.  Every 
body  admits  there  is  no  better  navigator  than  Captain  Truck, 
sir." 

"  This  may  be  true,  my  honest  fellow,"  returned  the  captain 
moodily,  after  making  three  or  four  heavy  puffs  at  the  cigar ; 
"  but  I  am  sadly  out  of  my  road  down  here  in  the  country  of 
your  amiable  family,  just  now.  If  this  be  Saturday,  there  will 
be  a  Saturday  night  before  long,  and  look  to  it,  that  we  have 
our  '  sweethearts  and  wives.'  Though  I  have  neither  myself,  I 
feel  the  necessity  of  something  cheerful,  to  raise  my  thoughts 
to  the  future." 

"  Depend  on  my  discretion,  sir,  and  I  rejoice  to  hear  you  say 
it ;  for  I  think,  sir,  a  ship  is  never  so  respectable  and  genteel 
as  when  she  celebrates  all  the  anniwersaries.  You  will  be  quite 
a  select  and  agreeable  party  to-night,  sir." 

With  this  remark  Mr.  Saunders  withdrew,  to  confer  with 
Toast  on  the  subject,  and  Captain  Truck  proceeded  to  give  his 
orders  for  the  night  to  Mr.  Leach.  The  proud  ship  did  indeed 
present  a  sight  to  make  a  seaman  melancholy  ;  for  to  the  only 
regular  sail  that  stood,  the  foresail,  by  this  time  was  added  a 
lower  studding-sail,  imperfectly  rigged,  and  which  would  not 
resist  a  fresh  puff,  while  a  very  inartificial  jury-topmast  sup 
ported  a  topgallant-sail,  that  could  only  be  carried  in  a  free 


It  O  51  E  W  A  R  D     13  O  U  N  I)  .  203 

wind.  Aft,  preparations  were  making  of  a  more  permanent 
nature,  it  is  true.  The  upper  part  of  the  mainmast  had  been 
cut  away,  as  low  as  the  steerage  deck,  where  an  arrangement 
had  been  made  to  step  a  spare  topmast.  The  spar  itself  was 
lying  on  the  deck  rigged,  and  a  pair  of  sheers  were  in  readiness 
to  be  hoisted,  in  order  to  sway  it  up ;  but  night  approaching, 
the  men  had  been  broken  off,  to  rig  the  yards,  bend  the  sails, 
and  to  fit  the  other  spars  it  was  intended  to  use,  postponing  the 
last  act,  that  of  sending  all  up,  until  morning. 

"  Wo  are  likely  to  have  a  quiet  night  of  it,"  said  the  captain, 
glancing  his  eyes  round  at  the  heavens;  "  and  at  eight  o'clock 
to-morrow  let  all  hands  be  called,  when  we  will  turn-to  with  a 
will,  and  niake  a  brig  of  the  old  hussey.  This  topmast  will  do 
to  bear  the  strain  of  the  spare  main-yard,  unless  there  come 
another  gale,  and  by  reefing  the  new  mainsail  we  shall  be  able 
to  make  something  out  of  it.  The  topgallant-mast  will  fit  of 
course  above,  and  we  may  make  out,  by  keeping  a  little  free,  to 
carry  the  sail :  at  need,  we  may  possibly  coax  the  contrivance 
into  carrying  a  studding-sail  also.  We  have  sticks  for  no  more, 
though  we'll  endeavor  to  get  up  something  aft,  out  of  the  spare 
spars  obtained  from  the  storeship.  You  may  knock  off  at  four 
bells,  Mr.  Leach,  and  let  the  poor  fellows  have  their  Saturday's 
night  in  peace.  It  is  a  misfortune  enough  to  be  dismasted, 
without  having  one's  grog  stopped." 

The  mate  of  course  obeyed,  and  the  evening  shut  in  beauti 
fully  and  placid,  with  all  the  glory  of  a  mild  night,  in  a  latitude 
as  low  as  that  they  were  in.  They  who  have  never  seen  the 
ocean  under  such  circumstances,  know  little  of  its  charms  in  its 
moments  of  rest.  The  term  of  sleeping  is  well  applied  to  its 
impressive  stillness,  for  the  long  sluggish  swells  on  which  the 
ship  rose  and  fell,  hardly  disturbed  its  surface.  The  moon  did 
not  rise  until  midnight,  and  Eve,  accompanied  by  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  and  most  of  her  male  companions,  walked  the  deck 
by  the  bright  starlight,  until  fatigued  with  pacing  their  narrow 
bounds. 


204  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

The  song  and  the  laugh  rose  frequently  from  the  forecastle, 
where  the  crew  were  occupied  with  their  Saturday  night ;  and 
occasionally  a  rude  sentiment  in  the  way  of  a  toast  was  heard. 
But  weariness  soon  got  the  better  of  merriment  forward,  and 
the  hard-worked  mariners  who  had  the  watch  below  soon 
went  down  to  their  berths,  leaving  those  whose  duty  it  was  to 
remain  to  doze  away  the  long  hours  in  such  places  as  they  could 
find  on  deck. 

"A  white  squall,"  said  Captain  Truck,  looking  up  at  the 
uncouth  sails  that  hardly  impelled  the  vessel  a  mile  in  the  hour 
through  the  water,  "  would  soon  furl  all  our  canvas  for  us,  and 
we  are  in  the  very  place  for  such  an  interlude." 

"  And  what  would  then  become  of  us  ?"  asked  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  quickly. 

"  You  had  better  ask  what  would  become  of  that  apology 
for  a  topsail,  mam'selle,  and  yonder  stun'sail,  which  looks  like 
an  American  in  London  without  straps  to  his  pantaloons.  The 
canvas  would  play  kite,  and  we  should  be  left  to  renew  our  in 
ventions.  A  ship  could  scarcely  be  in  better  plight  than  we 
are  at  this  moment,  to  meet  with  one  of  these  African  flurries." 

"  In  which  case,  captain,"  observed  Mr.  Monday,  who  stood 
by  the  skylight  watching  the  preparations  below,  u  we  can  go  to 
our  Saturday  night  without  fear;  for  I  see  the  steward  has 
every  thing  ready,  and  the  punch  looks  very  inviting,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  champagne." 

"  Gentlemen,  we  will  not  forget  our  duty,"  returned  the  cap 
tain  ;  "  \ve  are  but  a  small  family,  and  so  much  the  greater  need 
that  we  should  prove  a  jolly  one.  Mr.  Effingham,  I  hope  we 
are  to  have  the  honor  of  your  company  at  '  sweethearts  and 
wives  ?'  " 

Mr.  Effingham  had  no  wife,  and  the  invitation  coming  under 
such  peculiar  circumstances,  produced  a  pang  that  Eve,  who 
felt  his  arm  tremble,  well  understood.  She  mildly  intimated 
her  intention  to  go  below,  however  ;  the  whole  party  followed, 
and  lucky  it  was  for  the  captain's  entertainment  that  she  quit- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  205 

ted  the  deck,  as  few  would  otherwise  have  been  present  at  it, 
By  pressing  the  passengers  to  favor  him  with  their  company, 
he  succeeded  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  in  getting  all  the 
gentlemen  seated  at  the  cabin  table,  with  a  glass  of  delicious 
punch  before  each  man. 

'fc  Mr.  Saunders  may  not  be  a  conjurer  or  a  mathematician, 
gentlemen,"  cried  Captain  Truck,  as  he  ladled  out  the  beverage, 
"  but  he  understands  the  philosophy  of  sweet  and  sour,  strong 
and  weak  ;  and  I  will  venture  to  praise  his  liquor  without  tasting 
it.  Well,  gentlemen,  there  are  better  rigged  ships  on  the  ocean 
than  this  of  ours;  but  there  are  few  with  more  comfortable 
cabins,  or  stouter  hulls,  or  better  company.  Please  God  we 
can  get  a  few  sticks  aloft  again,  now  that  we  are  quit  of  our 
troublesome  shadow,  I  think  I  may  flatter  myself  with  a  reason 
able  hope  of  landing  you,  that  do  me  the  honor  to  stand  by 
me,  in  New  York,  in  less  time  than  a  common  drogger  would 
make  the  passage,  with  all  his  legs  and  arms.  Let  our  first 
toast  be,  if  you  please,  '  A  happy  end  to  that  which  has  had  a 
disastrous  beginning.'  " 

Captain  Truck's  hard  face  twitched  a  little  while  he  was 
making  this  address ;  and  as  he  swallowed  the  punch,  his  eyes 
glistened  in  spite  of  himself.  Mr.  Dodge,  Sir  George,  and  Mr. 
Monday  repeated  the  sentiment  sonorously,  word  for  word, 
while  the  other  gentlemen  bowed,  and  drank  it  in  silence. 

The  commencement  of  a  regular  scene  of  merriment  is 
usually  dull  and  formal,  and  it  was  some  time  before  Captain 
Truck  could  bring  any  of  his  companions  up  to  the  point  where 
he  wished  to  see  them ;  for  though  a  perfectly  sober  man,  he 
loved  a  social  glass,  and  particularly  at  those  times  and  seasons 
which  conformed  to  the  practice  of  his  calling.  Although  Eve 
and  her  governess  had  declined  taking  their  seats  at  the  table, 
they  consented  to  place  themselves  where  they  might  be  seen, 
and  where  they  might  share  occasionally  in  the  conversation. 

u  Here  have  I  been  drinking  sweethearts  and  wives  of  a 

t? 

Saturday  night,  my  dear  young  lady,  these  forty  years  and 


206  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND. 

wore,"  said  Captain  Truck,  after  the  party  had  sipped  their 
liquor  for  a  minute  or  two,  "without  ever  falling  into  luck's 
latitude,  or  furnishing  myself  with  either  :  but,  though  so  neg 
ligent  of  my  own  interests  and  happiness,  I  make  it  an  invariable 
rule  to  advise  all  my  young  friends  to  get  spliced  before  they 
are  thirty.  Many  is  the  man  who  has  come  aboard  my  ship 
a  determined  bachelor  in  his  notions,  who  has  left  it  at  the  end 
of  the  passage  ready  to  marry  the  first  pretty  young  woman 
he  fell  in  with." 

As  Eve  had  too  much  of  the  self-respect  of  a  lady,  and  of  the 
true  dignity  of  her  sex,  to  permit  jokes  concerning  matrimony, 
or  a  treatise  on  love,  to  make  a  part  of  her  conversation,  and 
all  the  gentlemen  of  her  party  understood  her  character  too 
well,  to  say  nothing  of  their  own  habits,  to  second  this  attempt 
of  the  captain's,  after  a  vapid  remark  or  two  from  the  others, 
this  rally  of  the  honest  mariner  produced  no  suites. 

"Are  we  not  unusually  low,  Captain  Truck,"  inquired  Paul 
Blunt,  with  a  view  to  change  the  discourse,  "not  to  have  fallen 
in  with  the  trades?  I  have  commonly  met  with  those  winds 
on  this  coast  as  high  as  twenty-six  or  twenty-seven,  and  I  be 
lieve  you  observed  to-day,  in  twenty-four." 

Captain  Truck  looked  hard  at  the  speaker,  and  when  he  had 
done,  he  nodded  his  head  in  approbation. 

"  You  have  travelled  this  road  before,  Mr.  Blunt,  I  perceive. 
I  have  suspected  you  of  being  a  brother  chip,  from  the  moment 
I  saw  you  first  put  your  foot  on  the  side-elects  in  getting  out 
of  the  boat.  You  did' not  come  aboard  parrot-toed,  like  a 
country -girl  waltzing ;  but  set  the  ball  of  the  foot  firmly  on  the 
wood,  and  swung  off  the  length  of  your  arms,  like  a  man  who 
knows  how  to  humor  the  muscles.  Your  present  remark,  too. 
shows  you  understand  where  a  ship  ought  to  be,  in  order  to  be 
in  her  right  place.  As  for  the  trades,  they  are  a  little  uncertain, 
like  a  lady's  mind  when  she  has  more  than  one  good  offer  ;  for 
I've  known  them  to  blow  as  high  as  thirty,  and  then  again,  to 
fail  a  vessel  as  low  as  twenty-three,  or  even  lower.  It  is  my 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  207 

private  opinion,  gentlemen,  and  I  gladly  take  this  opportunity 
to  make  it  public,  that  we  are  on  the  edge  of  the  trades,  or  in 
those  light  baffling  winds  which  prevail  along  their  margin,  as 
eddies  play  near  the  track  of  strong  steady  currents  in  the 
ocean.  If  we  can  force  the  ship  fairly  out  of  this  trimming 
region — that  is  the  word,  I  believe,  Mr.  Dodge — we  shall  do 
well  enough ;  for  a  northeast,  or  an  east  wind,  would  soon  send 
us  up  with  the  islands,  even  under  the  rags  we  carry.  We  are 
very  near  the  coast,  certainly — much  nearer  than  I  could  wish ; 
but  when  we  do  get  the  good  breeze,  it  will  be  all  the  better 
for  us,  as  it  will  find  us  well  to  windward." 

"  But  these  trades,  Captain  Truck  ?"  asked  Eve  ;  "  if  they  al 
ways  blow  in  the  same  direction,  how  is  it  possible  that  the  late 
gale  should  drive  a  ship  into  the  quarter  of  the  ocean  where 
they  prevail  ?" 

"  Always,  means  sometimes,  my  dear  young  lady.  Although 
light  winds  prevail  near  the  edge  of  the  trades,  gales,  and  tre 
mendous  fellows  too,  sometimes  blow  there  also,  as  we  have 
just  seen.  I  think  we  shall  now  have  settled  weather,  and  that 
our  chance  of  a  safe  arrival,  more  particularly  in  some  southern 
American  port,  is  almost  certain,  though  our  chance  for  a  speedy 
arrival  be  not  quite  as  good.  I  hope,  before  twenty-four  hours 
are  passed,  to  see  our  decks  white  with  sand." 

"Is  that  a  phenomenon  seen  here?"  asked  the  father. 

"  Often,  Mr.  Effingham,  when  ships  are  close  in  with  Africa, 
and  are  fairly  in  the  steady  winds.  To  say  the  truth,  the 
country  abreast  of  us,  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  distant,  is 
not  the  most  inviting;  and  though  it  may  not  be  easy  to  say 
where  the  garden  of  Eden  is,  it  is  not  hazardous  to  say  it  is  not 
there." 

"  If  we  are  so  very  near  the  coast,  why  do  we  not  see  it  ?" 

"Perhaps  we  might  from  aloft,  if  we  had  any  aloft  just  now. 
We  are  to  the  southward  of  the  mountains,  however,  and  off  a 
part  of  the  country  where  the  Great  Desert  makes  from  the 
coast.  And  now,  gentlemen,  I  perceive  Mr.  Monday  finds  all 


208  H  O  M  E  WARD     BOUND. 

this  sand  arid,  and  I  ask  permission  to  give  you,  one  and  all. 
*  Sweethearts  and  wives.'  " 

Most  of  the  company  drank  the  usual  toast  with  spirit, 
though  both  the  Effinghams  scarce  wetted  their  lips.  Eve  stole 
a  timid  glance  at  her  father,  and  her  own  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears  as  she  withdrew  them ;  for  she  knew  that  every  allu 
sion  of  this  nature  revived  in  him  mournful  recollections.  As 
for  her  cousin  Jack,  he  was  so  confirmed  a  bachelor  that  she 
thought  nothing  of  his  want  of  sympathy  with  such  a  sentiment. 

"You  must  have  a  care  for  your  heart  in  America,  Sir 
George  Templemore,"  cried  Mr.  Dodge,  whose  tongue  loosened 
•with  the  liquor  he  drank.  "  Our  ladies  are  celebrated  for  their 
beauty,  and  are  immensely  popular,  I  can  assure  you." 

Sir  George  looked  pleased,  and  it  is  quite  probable  his 
thoughts  ran  on  the  one  paiticular  vestment  of  the  six-and- 
thirty,  in  which  he  ought  to  make  his  first  appearance  in  such 
a  society. 

"I  allow  the  American  ladies  to  be  handsome,"  said  Mr. 
Monday ;  "  but  I  think  no  Englishman  need  be  in  any  particu 
lar  danger  of  his  heart  from  such  a  cause,  after  having  been  ac 
customed  to  the  beauty  of  his  own  island.  Captain  Truck,  I 
have  the  honor  to  drink  your  health." 

"Fairly  said,"  cried  the  captain,  bowing  to  the  compliment; 
"  and  I  ascribe  my  own  hard  fortune  to  the  fact  that  I  have 
been  kept  sailing  between  two  countries  so  much  favored  in 
this  particular,  that  I  have  never  been  able  to  make  up  my 
mind  which  to  prefer.  I  have  wished  a  thousand  times  there 
was  but  one  handsome  woman  in  the  world,  when  a  man  would 
have  nothing  to  do  but  fall  in  love  with  her;  and  make  up  his 
mind  to  get  married  at  once,  or  to  hang  himself." 

"  That  is  a  cruel  wish  to  us  men,"  returned  Sir  George,  "  as 
we  should  be  certain  to  quarrel  for  the  beauty." 

"  In  such  a  case,"  resumed  Mr.  Monday,  "  we  common  men 
would  have  to  give  way  to  the  claims  of  the  nobility  and  gen 
try,  and  satisfy  ourselves  with  plainer  companions ;  though  an 


HO  ME  WARD      BOUND.  209 

Englishman  loves  his  independence,  and  might  rebel.  '  I  have 
the  honor  to  drink  your  health  and  happiness,  Sir  George." 

"I  protest  against  your  principle,  Mr.  Monday,"  said  Mr. 
Dodge,  "which  is  an  invasion  of  human  rights.  Perfect  free 
dom  of  action  is  to  be  maintained  in  this  matter  as  in  all  others. 
I  acknowledge  that  the  English  ladies  are  extremely  beautiful,  but 
1  shall  always  maintain  the  supremacy  of  the  American  fair." 

"  We  will  drink  their  healths,  sir.  I  am  far  from  denying 
their  beauty,  Mr.  Dodge,  but  I  think  you  must  admit  that  they 
fade  earlier  than  our  British  ladies.  God  bless  them  both,  how 
ever,  and  I  empty  this  glass  to  the  two  entire  nations,  with  all 
my  heart  and  soul." 

"  Perfectly  polite,  Mr.  Monday ;  but  as  to  the  fading  of  the 
ladies,  I  am  not  certain  that  I  can  yield  an  unqualified  appro 
bation  to  your  sentiment." 

"  Nay,  sir,  your  climate,  you  will  allow  is  none  of  the  best, 
and  it  wears  out  constitutions  almost  as  fast  as  your  States 
make  them." 

"  I  hope  there  is  no  real  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  the 
climate,"  said  Sir  George  :  "  I  particularly  detest  bad  climates ; 
and  for  that  reason  have  always  made  it  a  rule  never  to  go  into 
Lincolnshire." 

"In  that  case,  Sir  George,  you  had  better  have  staid  at 
home.  In  the  way  of  climate,  a  man  seldom  betters  himself 
by  leaving  old  England.  Now  this  is  the  tenth  time  I've  been 
in  America,  allowing  that  I  ever  reach  there,  and  although  I 
entertain  a  profound  respect  for  the  country,  I  find  myself  grow 
ing  older  every  time  I  quit  it.  Mr.  Effingham,  I  do  myself  the 
favor  to  drink  your  health  and  happiness." 

"  You  live  too  well  when  amongst  us,  Mr.  Monday,"  said  the 
captain ;  "  there  are  too  many  soft  crabs,  hard  clams,  and  canvas- 
backs  ;  too  much  old  Madeira,  and  generous  Sherry,  for  a  man 
of  your  well-known  taste  to  resist  them.  Sit  less  time  at  table, 
and  go  oftener  to  church  this  trip,  and  let  us  hear  your  report 
of  the  consequences  a  twelvemonth  hence." 


210  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  lrou  quite  mistake  my  habits,  Captain  Truck,  I  give  yon 
my  honor.  Although  a  judicious  eater,  I  seldom  take  any 
thing  that  is  compounded,  being  a  plain  roast  and  boiled  man ; 
a  true  old-fashioned  Englishman  in  this  respect,  satisfying  my 
appetite  with  solid  beef  and  mutton,  and  turkeys  and  pork,  and 
puddings  and  potatoes,  and  turnips  and  carrots,  and  similar 
simple  food  ;  and  then  I  never  drink. — Ladies,  I  ask  the  honor 
to  be  permitted  to  wish  you  a  happy  return  to  your  native 
countries. — I  ascribe  all  the  difficulty,  sir,  to  the  climate,  which 
will  not  permit  a  man  to  digest  properly." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Monday,  I  subscribe  to  most  of  your  opinions, 
and  I  believe  few  men  cross  the  ocean  together  that  are  more 
harmonious  in  sentiment,  in  general,  than  has  proved  to  be  the 
case  between  you  and  Sir  George,  and  myself,"  observed  Mr. 
Dodge,  glancing  obliquely  and  pointedly  at  the  rest  of  the 
party,  as  if  he  thought  they  were  in  a  decided  minority ;  "  but 
in  this  instance  I  feel  constrained  to  record  my  vote  in  the  neg 
ative.  I  believe  America  has  as  good  a  climate,  and  as  good 
general  digestion,  as  commonly  falls  to  the  lot  of  mortals : 
more  than  this  I  do  not  claim  for  the  country,  and  less  than 
this  I  should  be  reluctant  to  maintain.  I  have  travelled  a  little, 
gentlemen,  not  as  much,  perhaps,  as  the  Messrs.  Effinghams; 
but  then  a  man  can  see  no  more  than  is  to  be  seen  ;  and  I  do 
affirm,  Captain  Truck,  that  in  my  poor  judgment,  which  I  know 
is  good  for  nothing — " 

"  Why  do  you  use  it,  then  ?"  abruptly  asked  the  straightfor 
ward  captain  ;  "  why  not  rely  on  a  better  ?" 

"  We  must  use  such  as  we  have,  or  go  without,  sir ;  and  I 
suspect,  in  my  very  poor  judgment,  which  is  probably  poorer 
than  that  of  most  others  on  board,  that  America  is  a  very  good 
sort  of  a  country.  At  all  events,  after  having  seen  something 
of  other  countries,  and  governments,  and  people,  I  am  of  opin 
ion  that  America,  as  a  country,  is  quite  good  enough  for  me." 

"  You  never  said  truer  words,  Mr.  Dodge,  and  I  beg  you  will 
join  Mr.  Monday  and  myself  in  a  fresh  glass  of  punch,  just  to 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  211 

help  on  the  digestion.  You  have  seen  more  of  human  nature 
than  your  modesty  allows  you  to  proclaim  ;  and  I  dare  say  this 
company  would  be  gratified  if  you  would  overcome  all  scru 
ples,  and  let  us  know  your  private  opinions  of  the  different  peo 
ple  you  have  visited.  Tell  us  something  of  that  dittur  you 
made  on  the  Rhine." 

"  Mr.  Dodge  intends  to  publish,  it  is  to  be  hoped !"  observed 
Mr.  Sharp ;  "  and  it  may  not  be  fair  to  anticipate  his  matter." 

"I  beg,  gentlemen,  you  will  have  no  scruples  on  that  score, 
for  my  work  will  be  rather  philosophical  and  general,  than  of 
the  particular  nature  of  private  anecdotes.  Saunders,  hand  me 
the  manuscript  journal  you  will  find  on  the  shelf  of  our  state 
room,  next  to  Sir  George's  patent  tooth-pick  case.  This  is  the 
book ;  and  now,  gentlemen  and  ladies,  I  beg  you  to  remember 
that  these  are  merely  the  ideas  as  they  arose,  and  not  my  more 
mature  reflections." 

"Take  a  little  punch,  sir,"  interrupted  the  captain  again, 
whose  hard  norVest  face  was  set  in  the  most  demure  attention. 
"  There  is  nothing  like  punch  to  clear  the  voice,  Mr.  Dodge ; 
the  acid  removes  the  huskiness,  the  sugar  softens  the  tones,  the 
water  mellows  the  tongue,  and  the  Jamaica  braces  the  muscles. 
With  a  plenty  of  punch,  a  man  soon  gets  to  be  another — I  for 
get  the  name  of  that  great  orator  of  antiquity, — it  wasn't  Vattel, 
however." 

"  You  mean  Demosthenes,  sir ;  and,  gentlemen,  I  beg  you  to 
remark  that  this  orator  was  a  republican  :  but  there  can  be 
no  question  that  liberty  is  favorable  to  the  encouragement  of 
all  the  higher  qualities.  Would  you  prefer  a  few  notes  on 
Paris,  ladies,  or  shall  I  commence  with  some  extracts  about  the 
Rhine?" 

"  Oh  !  de  grace,  monsieur,  be  so  very  kind  as  not  to  over 
look  Paris  /"  said  Mademoiselle  Viefville. 

Mr.  Dodge  bowed  graciously,  and  turning  over  the  leaves  of 
his  private  journal,  he  alighted  in  the  heart  of  the  great  city 
named.  After  some  preliminary  hemming,  he  commenced 


212  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

reading  in  a  grave  didactic  tone,  that  sufficiently  showed  the 
value  he  had  attached  to  his  own  observations. 

" '  Dejjuned  at  ten,  as  usual,  an  hour  that  I  find  exceedingly 
unreasonable  and  improper,  and  one  that  would  meet  with 
general  disapprobation  in  America.  I  do  not  wonder  that  a 
people  gets  to  be  immoral  and  depraved  in  their  practices,  who 
keep  such  improper  hours.  The  mind  acquires  habits  of  im 
purity,  and  all  the  sensibilities  become  blunted,  by  taking  the 
meals  out  of  the  natural  seasons.  I  impute  much  of  the  cor 
ruption  of  France  to  the  periods  of  the  day  in  which  the  food 
is  taken—' " 

"  Voila  une  drole  cFidge  /"  ejaculated  Mademoiselle  Viefville. 

" '  — In  which  food  is  taken,'  "  repeated  Mr.  Dodge,  who  fan 
cied  the  involuntary  exclamation  was  in  approbation  of  the 
justice  of  his  sentiments.  " '  Indeed  the  custom  of  taking  wine 
at  this  meal,  together  with  the  immorality  of  the  hour,  must  be 
chief  reasons  why  the  French  ladies  are  so  much  in  the  prac 
tice  of  drinking  to  excess.' " 

"  Mais,  monsieur  /" 

"  You  perceive,  mademoiselle  calls  in  question  the  accuracy 
of  your  facts,"  observed  Mr.  Blunt,  who,  in  common  with  all 
the  listeners,  Sir  George  and  Mr.  Monday  excepted,  began  to 
enjoy  a  scene  which  at  first  had  promised  nothing  but  ennui 
and  disgust. 

"  I  have  it  on  the  best  authority,  I  give  you  my  honor,  or  I 
would  not  introduce  so  grave  a  charge  in  a  work  of  this  con 
templated  importance.  I  obtained  my  information  from  an 
English  gentleman  who  has  resided  twelve  years  in  Paris ;  and 
he  informs  me  that  a  very  large  portion  of  the  women  of  fashion 
in  that  capital,  let  them  belong  to  what  country  they  will,  are 
dissipated." 

"  A  la  bonne  heure,  monsieur! — mais,  to  drink,  it  is  very 
different." 

"  Not  so  much  so,  mademoiselle,  as  you  imagine,"  rejoined 
John  Effingham.  "  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  purist  in  language  as  well 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  213 

as  in  morals,  and  he  uses  terras  differently  from  us  less-instructed 
prattlers.  By  dissipated,  he  understands  a  drunkard." 

"Comment*" 

"  Certainly  ;  Mr.  John  Effiugham,  I  presume,  will  at  least 
give  us  the  credit  in  America  in  speaking  our  language  better 
than  any  other  known  people.  'After  dejjunying,  took  a 
phyacre  and  rode  to  the  palace,  to  see  the  king  and  royal  family 
leave  for  Nully.— '  " 

"  Pour  ou  ?n 

" Pour  Neitilly,  mademoiselle"  Eve  quietly  answered. 

"  '  — For  Nully.  His  majesty  went  on  horseback,  preceding 
his  illustrious  family  and  all  the  rest  of  the  noble  party,  dressed 
in  a  red  coat,  laced  with  white  on  the  seams,  wearing  blue 
breeches  and  a  cocked  hat.' " 

"del!" 

" '  I  made  the  king  a  suitable  republican  reverence  as  he 
passed,  which  he  answered  with  a  gracious  smile,  and  a  be 
nignant  glance  of  his  royal  eye.  The  Hon.  Louis  Philippe 
Orleans,  the  present  sovereign  of  the  French,  is  a  gentleman 
of  portly  and  commanding  appearance,  and  in  his  state  attire, 
which  he  wore  on  this  occasion,  looks  "  every  inch  a  king." 
He  rides  with  grace  and  dignity,  and  sets  an  example  of  de 
corum  and  gravity  to  his  subjects,  by  the  solemnity  of  his  air, 
that  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  produce  a  beneficial  and  benign  in 
fluence  during  this  reign,  on  the  manners  of  the  nation.  His 
dignity  was  altogether  worthy  of  the  schoolmaster  of  Haddon- 
field.'  " 

"  Par  exemple  /" 

"  Yes,  mam'selle,  in  the  way  of  example,  it  is  that  I  mean. 
'Although  a  pure  democrat,  and  every  way  opposed  to  exclu 
sion,  I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  royalty  of  his  majesty's 
demeanor,  and  the  great  simplicity  of  his  whole  deportment. 
T  stood  in  the  crowd  next  to  a  very  accomplished  countess,  who 
spoke  English,  and  she  did  me  the  honor  to  invite  me  to  pay 
her  a  visit  at  her  hotel,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Bourse.' " 


214  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  Mon  Dieu — mon  Dieu — mon  Dieu  /" 

"  '  After  promising  my  fair  companion  to  be  punctual,  I  walked 
as  far  as  Notter  Dam — '  " 

"  I  wish  Mr.  Dodge  would  be  a  little  more  distinct  in  his 
names,"  said  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  who  had  begun  to  take  an 
interest  in  the  subject,  that  even  valueless  opinions  excite  in  us 
concerning  things  that  touch  the  affections. 

"  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  little  profane,  mademoiselle,"  observed  the 
captain;  "but  his  journal  probably  was  not  intended  for  the 
ladies,  and  you  must  overlook  it.  Well,  sir,  you  went  to  that 
naughty  place — " 

"  To  Notter  Dam,  Captain  Truck,  if  you  please,  and  I  flatter 
myself  that  is  pretty  good  French." 

"  I  think,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  have  a  right  to  insist  on 
a  translation  ;  for  plain  roast  and  boiled  men,  like  Mr.  Monday 
and  myself,  are  sometimes  weeping  when  we  ought  to  laugh, 
so  long  as  the  discourse  is  in  any  thing  but  old-fashioned  Eng 
lish.  Help  yourself,  Mr.  Monday,  and  remember,  you  never 
drink." 

"  Natter  Dam,  I  believe,  mam'selle,  means  our  Mother,  the 
Church  of  our  Mother.  Notter,  or  Noster,  our, — Dam,  Mother : 
Notter  Dam.  '  Here  I  was  painfully  impressed  with  the  irreli- 
gion  of  the  structure,  and  the  general  absence  of  piety  in  the 
architecture.  Idolatry  abounded,  and  so  did  holy  water.  How 
often  have  I  occasion  to  bless  Providence  for  having  made  me 
one  of  the  descendants  of  those  pious  ancestors  who  cast  their 
fortunes  in  the  wilderness  in  preference  to  giving  up  their  hold 
on  faith  and  charity  !  The  building  is  much  inferior  in  comfort 
and  true  taste  to  the  commoner  American  churches,  and  met 
with  my  unqualified  disapprobation.'  " 

"  Est-il  possible  que  cela  soit  vrai,  ma  chdre  /" 

*'«/<?  Vespere,  bien,  mademoiselle.111 

"  You  may  despair  bien,  cousin  Eve,"  said  John  Effingham, 
whose  fine  curvilinear  face  curled  even  more  than  usual  with 
contempt. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  215 

The  ladies  whispered  a  few  explanations,  and  Mr.  Dodge, 
who  fancied  it  was  only  necessary  to  resolve  to  be  perfect  to 
achieve  his  end,  went  on  with  his  comments,  with  all  the  self- 
satisfaction  of  a  provincial  critic. 

"  '  From  Notter  Dam  I  proceeded  in  a  cabrioly  to  the  great 
national  burying-ground,  Pere  la  Chaise,  so  termed  from  the 
circumstance  that  its  distance  from  the  capital  renders  chaises 
necessary  for  the  convoys — '  " 

"  How's  this,  how's  this  !"  interrupted  Mr.  Truck ;  "  is  one 
obliged  to  sail  under  a  convoy  about  the  streets  of  Paris  ?" 

"  Monsieur  Dodge  veut  dire,  convoi.  Mr.  Dodge  means  to 
say,  convoi"  kindly  interposed  Mademoiselle  Viefville. 

"  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  profound  republican,  and  is  an  advocate  for 
rotation  in  language,  as  well  as  in  office :  I  must  accuse  you  of 
inconstancy,  my  dear  friend,  if  I  die  for  it.  You  certainly  do 
not  pronounce  your  words  always  in  the  same  way,  and  when 
I  had  the  honor  of  carrying  you  out  this  time  six  months,  wheu 
you  were  practising  the  continentals,  as  you  call  them,  you  gave 
very  different  sounds  to  many  of  the  words  I  then  had  the 
pleasure  and  gratification  of  hearing  you  use." 

"  We  all  improve  by  travelling,  sir,  and  I  make  no  question 
that  my  knowledge  of  foreign  language  is  considerably  enlarged 
by  practice  in  the  countries  in  which  they  are  spoken." 

Here  the  reading  of  the  journal  was  interrupted  by  a  digres 
sion  on  language,  in  which  Messrs.  Dodge,  Monday,  Temple- 
more,  and  Truck  were  the  principal  interlocutors,  and  during 
which  the  pitcher  of  punch  was  twice  renewed.  We  shall  not 
record  much  of  this  learned  discussion,  which  was  singularly 
common-place,  though  a  few  of  the  remarks  may  be  given  as  a 
specimen  of  the  whole. 

"  I  must  be  permitted  to  say,"  replied  Mr.  Monday  to  one  of 
Mr.  Dodge's  sweeping  claims  to  superiority  in  favor  of  his  own 
nation,  "  that  I  think  it  quite  extraordinary  an  Englishman 
should  be  obliged  to  go  out  of  his  own  country  in  order  to  hear 
his  own  language  spoken  in  purity;  and  as  one  who  has  seen 


216  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

your  people,  Mr.  Dodge,  I  will  venture  to  affirm  that  nowhere 
is  English  better  spoken  than  in  Lancashire.  Sir  George,  I 
drink  your  health !" 

"  More  patriotic  than  just,  Mr.  Monday ;  everybody  allows 
that  the  American  of  the  Eastern  States  speaks  the  best  English 
in  the  world,  and  I  think  either  of  these  gentlemen  will  con 
cede  that." 

"Under  the  penalty  of  being  nobody,"  cried  Captain  Truck  ; 
"  for  my  own  part,  I  think,  if  a  man  wishes  to  hear  the  lan 
guage  in  perfection,  he  ought  to  pass  a  week  or  ten  days  in 
the  river.  I  must  say,  Mr.  Dodge,  I  object  to  many  of  your 
sounds,  particularly  that  of  iuyon,  which  I  myself  heard  you 
call  onion,  no  later  than  yesterday." 

"  Mr.  Monday  is  a  little  peculiar  in  fancying  that  the  best 
English  is  to  be  met  with  in  Lancashire,"  observed  Sir  George 
Templernore ;  "  for  I  do  assure  you  that,  in  town,  we  have 
difficulty  in  understanding  gentlemen  from  your  part  of  the 
kingdom." 

This  was  a  hard  cut  from  one  in  whom  Mr.  Monday  expected 
to  find  an  ally,  and  that  gentleman  was  driven  to  washing  down 
the  discontent  it  excited,  in  punch. 

"But  all  this  time  we  have  interrupted  the  convoi,  or  convoy, 
captain,"  said  Mr.  Sharp ;  "  and  Mr.  Dodge,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
mourners,  has  every  right  to  complain.  I  beg  that  gentleman 
will  proceed  with  his  entertaining  extracts." 

Mr.  Dodge  hemmed,  sipped  a  little  more  liquor,  blew  his 
nose,  and  continued  : 

" '  The  celebrated  cemetery  is,  indeed,  worthy  of  its  high 
reputation.  The  utmost  republican  simplicity  prevails  in  the 
interments,  ditches  being  dug,  in  which  the  bodies  are  laid,  side 
by  side,  without  distinction  of  rank,  and  with  regard  only  to  the 
order  in  which  the  convoys  arrive.'  I  think  this  sentence,  gen 
tlemen,  will  have  great  success  in  America,  where  the  idea  of 
any  exclusivenesa  is  quite  odious  to  the  majority." 

"  Well,  for  my  part,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  should  have  no 


H  O  M  E  W  A  K  U      B  O  V  N  D  .  217 

particular  objection  to  being  excluded  from  such  a  grave ;  one 
would  be  afraid  of  catching  the  cholera  in  so  promiscuous  a 
company." 

Mr.  Dodge  turned  over  a  few  leaves,  and  gave  other  extracts. 

"  '  The  last  six-  hours  have  been  devoted  to  a  profound  in 
vestigation  of  the  tine  arts.  My  first  visit  was  to  the  gullyteen  ; 
after  which  I  passed  an  instructive  hour  or  two  in  the  galleries 
of  the  Musy — '  " 

"  Ou,  done  /" 

" Le  Muste,  mademoiselle" 

"  '  Where  I  discovered  several  very  extraordinary  things,  in 
the  way  of  sculpture  and  painting.  I  was  particularly  struck 
with  the  manner  in  which  a  plate  was  portrayed  in  the  cele 
brated  marriage  of  Cana,  which  might  very  well  have  been 
taken  for  real  Delft,  and  there  was  one  finger  on  the  hand  of  a 
lady  that  seemed  actually  fitted  to  receive  and  to  retain  the 
hymeneal  ring.' " 

"  Did  you  inquire  if  she  were  engaged  ? — Mr.  Monday,  we 
will  drink  her  health." 

"  '  Saint  Michael  and  the  Dragon  is  a  shefdowvry — '  " 

"Un  quoi?" 

"  Un  chef-d'oeuvre,  mademoiselle." 

"  '  The  manner  in  which  the  angel  holds  the  dragon  with  his 
feet,  looking  exactly  like  a  worm  trodden  on  by  the  foot  of  a 
child,  is  exquisitely  plaintive  and  interesting.  Indeed  these 
touches  of  nature  abound  in  the  works  of  the  old  masters,  and 
I  saw  several  fruit-pieces  that  I  could  have  eaten.  One  really 
gets  an  appetite  by  looking  at  many  things  here,  and  I  no  longer 
wonder  that  a  Raphael,  a  Titian,  a  Correggio,  a  Guide-o — ' 

"Un  quit" 

" Un  Guide,  mademoiselle" 

"  Or  a  Cooley." 

"  And  pray  who  may  he  be  ?"  asked  Mr.  Monday. 

"  A  young  genius  in  Dodgetown,  who  promises  one  day  to 
render  the  name  of  an  American  illustrious.  He  has  painted  a 

10 


218  II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  L>  . 

new  sign  for  the  store,  that  in  its  way  is  quite  equal  to  the  mav- 
riage  of  Cana.  '  I  have  stood,  with  tears,  over  the  despair  of  a 
Niobe,'  "  continuing  to  rend,  "  '  and  witnessed  the  contortions 
of  the  snakes  in  the  Lnocoon  with  a  convulsive  eagerness  to 
clutch  them,  that  has  made  me  fancy  I  could  hear  them  hiss.' 
That  sentence,  I  think,  will  be  likely  to  be  noticed  even  in  the 
New-Old-New-Yorker,  one  of  the  very  best  reviews  of  our  days, 
gentlemen." 

"Take  a  little  more  punch,  Mr.  Dodge,"  put  in  the  attentive 
captain;  "this  grows  affecting,  and  needs  alleviation,  as  Saun- 
ders  would  say.  Mr.  Monday,  you  will  get  a  bad  name  for 
being  too  sober,  if  you  never  empty  your  glass.  Proceed,  in 
the  name  of  Heaven  !  Mr.  Dodge." 

'•  'In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  Grand  Opery — 

'•  Ou,  done  r 

"  Au  grand  Hoppery,  mademoiselle,"  replied  John  Effingham. 

"  '  To  the  Grand  Opery]  "  resumed  Mr.  Dodge,  with  em 
phasis,  his  eyes  beginning  to  glisten  by  this  time,  for  he  had 
often  applied  to  the  punch  for  inspiration,  " '  where  I  listened 
to  music  that  is  altogether  inferior  to  that  which  we  enjoy  in 
America,  especially  at  the  general  trainings,  and  on  the  Sab 
bath.  The  want  of  science  was  conspicuous;  and  if  this  be 
music,  then  do  I  know  nothing  about  it !'  " 

"  A  judicious  remark !"  exclaimed  the  captain.  "  Mr.  Dodge 
has  great  merit  as  a  writer,  for  he  loses  no  occasion  to  illustrate 
his  opinions  by  the  most  unanswerable  facts.  He  has  acquired 
a  taste  for  Zip  Coon  and  Long-tail  Blue,  and  it  is  no  wonder  he 
feels  a  contempt  for  your  inferior  artists." 

"  '  As  for  the  dancing,'  "  continued  the  editor  of  the  Active 
Inquirer,  "  '  it  is  my  decided  impression  that  nothing  can  be 
worse.  The  movement  was  more  suited  to  a  funeral  than  the 
ball-room,  and  I  affirm,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  there 
is  not  an  assembly  in  all  America  in  which  a  cotillion  would 
not  be  danced  in  one  half  the  time  that  one  was  danced  in  the 
bally  to-night.' " 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  219 

"•  Dans  le  qiioi?" 

"I  believe  I  have  not  given  the  real  Parisian  pronunciation 
to  this  word,  which  the  French  call  bal-fay,"  continued  the 
reader,  with  great  candor. 

"Belay,  or  make  all  fast,  as  we  say  on  shipboard.  Mr. 
Dodge,  as  master  of  this  vessel,  I  beg  to  return  you  the  united, 
or  as  Saunders  would  say,  the  condensed  thanks  of  the  passen 
gers,  for  this  information  ;  and  next  Saturday  we  look  for  a  re 
newal  of  the  pleasure.  The  ladies  are  getting  to  be  sleepy,  I 
perceive,  and  as  Mr.  Monday  never  drinks,  and  the  other  gen 
tlemen  have  finished  their  punch,  we  may  as  well  retire,  to  get 
ready  for  a  hard  day's  work  to-morrow." 

Captain  Truck  made  this  proposal,  because  he  saw  that  one 
or  two  of  the  party  were  plenum  punch,  and  that  Eve  and  her 
companion  were  becoming  aware  of  the  propriety  of  retiring. 
It  was  also  true  that  he  foresaw  the  necessity  of  rest,  in  order 
to  be  ready  for  the  exertions  of  the  morning. 

After  the  party  had  broken  up,  which  it  did  very  contrary 
to  the  wishes  of  Messrs.  Dodge  and  Monday,  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  passed  an  hour  in  the  stateroom  of  Miss  Effingham, 
during  which  time  she  made  several  supererogatory  complaints 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer  had 
viewed  things  in  Paris,  besides  asking  a  good  many  questions 
concerning  his  occupation  and  character. 

"  I  am  not  quite  certain,  my  dear  mademoiselle,  that  I  can 
give  you  a  very  learned  description  of  the  animal  you  think 
worthy  of  all  these  questions,  but,  by  the  aid  of  Mr.  John 
Effingham's  information,  and  a  few  words  that  have  fallen  from 
Mr.  Blunt,  I  believe  it  ought  to  be  something  as  follows  :  Amer 
ica  once  produced  a  very  distinguished  philosopher,  named 
Franklin—" 

"  Comment,  ma  chtre  !     Tout  le  nionde  le  connait  /" 

"  This  Monsieur  Franklin  commenced  life  as  a  printer  ;  but, 
living  to  a  great  age,  and  rising  to  high  employments,  he  be 
came  a  philosopher  in  moral*,  as  his  studies  had  made  him  one 


220  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

in  physics.  Now,  America  is  full  of  printers,  and  most  of  them 
fancy  themselves  Franklins,  until  time  and  failures  teach  them 
discretion." 

"Mais  the  world  has  not  seen  but  un  seul  Franklin!'1'' 

"  Nor  is  it  likely  to  see  another  very  soon.  In  America  the 
young  men  are  taught,  justly  enough,  that  by  merit  they  may 
rise  to  the  highest  situations ;  and,  always  according  to  Mr. 
John  Effingham,  too  many  of  them  fancy  that  because  the} 
are  at  liberty  to  turn  any  high  qualities  they  may  happen  to 
have  to  account,  they  are  actually  fit  for  any  thing.  Even  he 
allows  this  peculiarity  of  the  country  does  much  good,  but  he 
maintains  that  it  also  does  much  harm,  by  causing  pretenders 
to  start  up  in  all  directions.  Of  this  class  he  describes  Mr. 
Dodge  to  be.  This  person,  instead  of  working  at  the  mechan 
ical  part  of  a  press,  to  which  he  was  educated,  has  the  ambition 
to  control  its  intellectual,  and  thus  edits  the  Active  Inquirer." 

"It  must  be  a  very  useful  journal !" 

"  It  answers  his  purposes,  most  probably.  He  is  full  of  pro 
vincial  ignorance,  and  provincial  prejudices,  you  perceive;  and, 
I  dare  say,  he  makes  his  paper  the  circulator  of  all  these,  in 
addition  to  the  personal  rancor,  envy,  and  uncharitableness 
that  usually  distinguish  a  pretension  that  mistakes  itself  for 
ambition.  My  cousin  Jack  affirms  that  America  is  filled  with 
such  as  he." 

"  And,  Monsieur  Effingham  ?" 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  father  is  all  mildness  and  charity,  you  know, 
mademoiselle,  and  he  only  looks  at  the  bright  side  of  the  pic 
ture,  for  he  maintains  that  a  great  deal  of  good  results  from 
the  activity  and  elasticity  of  such  a  state  of  things.  While  he 
confesses  to  a  great  deal  of  downright  ignorance  that  is  para 
ded  as  knowledge  ;  to  much  narrow  intolerance  that  is  of 
fensively  prominent  in  the  disguise  of  principle,  and  a  love  of 
liberty  ;  and  to  vulgarity  and  personalities  that  wound  all  taste, 
and  every  sentiment  of  right,  he  insists  on  it  that  the  main  re 
sult  is  good." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  221 

"  Iii  such  a  case  there  is  no  need  of  an  umpire.  You  men 
tioned  the  case  of  Mr.  Blunt.  Comme  ce  jeune  homme  park  bien 
Francis  /" 

Eve  hesitated,  and  she  changed  color  slightly,  before  she 
answered. 

"  I  am  not  certain  that  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Blunt  ought  to  be 
mentioned  in  opposition  to  those  of  my  father  and  cousin  Jack, 
on  such  a  subject,"  she  said.  "  He  is  very  young,  and  it  is,  now, 
quite  questionable  whether  he  is  even  an  American  at  all." 

"  Tant  mieux,  ma  there.  He  has  been  much  in  the  country, 
and  it  is  not  the  native  that  makes  the  best  judge,  when  the 
stranger  has  many  opportunities  of  seeing." 

''  On  this  principle,  mademoiselle,  you  are,  then,  to  give  up 
your  own  judgment  about  France,  on  all  those  points  in  which 
I  have  the  misfortune  to  differ  from  you,"  said  Eve,  laughing. 

"Pas  tout  a  fait"  returned  the  governess  good-humoredly. 
"  Age  and  experience  must  pass  pour  quelque  chose.  Et 
Monsieur  Blunt?—" 

"  Monsieur  Blunt  leans  nearer  to  the  side  of  cousin  Jack,  I 
fear,  than  to  that  of  my  dear,  dear  father.  He  says  men  of 
Mr.  Dodge's  character,  propensities,  malignancy,  intolerance,  ig 
norance,  vulgarity,  and  peculiar  vices  abound  in  and  about  the 
American  press.  He  even  insists  that  they  do  an  incalculable 
amount  of  harm,  by  influencing  those  who  have  no  better 
sources  of  information  ;  by  setting  up  low  jealousies  and  envy 
in  the  place  of  principles  and  the  right ;  by  substituting — I  use 
his  own  words,  mademoiselle,"  said  Eve,  blushing  with  the  con 
sciousness  of  the  fidelity  of  her  memory — "by  substituting  un- 
instructed  provincial  notions  for  true  taste  and  liberality ;  by 
confounding  the  real  principles  of  liberty  with  personal  envies, 
and  the  jealousies  of  station ;  and  by  losing  sight  entirely  of 
their  duties  to  the  public,  in  the  effort  to  advance  their  own 
interests.  He  says  that  the  government  is  in  truth  a  press- 
ocracy,  and  a  press-ocracy,  too,  that  has  not  the  redeeming 
merit  of  either  principles,  tastes,  talents,  or  knowledge." 


222  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  Ce  Monsieur  Blunt  has  been  very  explicit,  and  suffisam- 
ment  eloquent"  returned  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  gravely ;  for  the 
prudent  governess  did  not  fail  to  observe  that  Eve  used  lan 
guage  so  very  different  from  that  which  was  habitual  to  her,  as 
to  make  her  suspect  she  quoted  literally.  For  the  first  time  the 
suspicion  wras  painfully  awakened,  that  it  was  her  duty  to  be 
more  vigilant  in  relation  to  the  intercourse  between  her  charge 
and  the  two  agreeable  young  men  whom  accident  had  given 
them  as  fellow-passengers.  After  a  short  but  musing  pause,  she 
again  adverted  to  the  subject  of  their  previous  conversation. 

"  Ce  Monsieur  Dodge,  est-il  ridicule  /" 

"  On  that  point  at  least,  my  dear  mademoiselle,  there  can  be 
no  mistake.  And  yet  cousin  Jack  insists  that  this  stuff  will  be 
given  to  his  readers,  as  views  of  Europe  worthy  of  their  atten 
tion." 

"  Ce  conte  du  roil — metis,  Jest  tr  op  fort  /" 

"  With  the  coat  laced  at  the  seams,  and  the  cocked  hat !" 

"  Et  V  honorable  Louis  Philippe  d"  Orleans  /" 

"  Orleans,  mademoiselle;  d'Orleans  would  be  anti-republican." 

Then  the  two  ladies  sat  looking  at  each  other  a  few  moments 
in  silence,  when  both,  although  of  a  proper  retenue  of  manner 
in  general,  burst  into  a  hearty  and  long-continued  fit  of  laugh 
ter.  Indeed,  so  long  did  Eve,  in  the  buoyancy  of  her  young 
spirits,  and  her  keen  perception  of  the  ludicrous,  indulge  her 
self,  that  her  hair  fell  about  her  rosy  cheeks,  and  her  bright 
eyes  fairly  danced  with  delight. 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

"  And  there  he  went  asliore  without  delay, 
Having  no  custom-house  or  quarantine, — 
To  ask  him  awkward  questions  on  the  way 
About  the  time  and  place  where  he  had  been.'' 

BYRON. 

CAPTAIN  TRUCK  was  in  a  sound  sleep  as  soon  as  his  head 
touched  the  pillow.  With  the  exception  of  the  ladies,  the  oth- 
ors  soon  followed  his  example ;  and  as  the  people  were  exces 
sively  weaned,  and  the  night  was  so  tranquil,  ere  long  only  a 
single  pair  of  eyes  were  open  on  deck :  those  of  the  man  at 
the  wheel.  The  wind  died  away,  and  even  this  worthy  was 
not  innocent  of  nodding  at  his  post. 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  will  occasion  no  great  surprise 
that  the  cabin  was  aroused  next  morning  with  the  sudden  and 
startling  information  that  the  land  was  close  aboard  the  ship. 
Every  one  hurried  on  deck,  where,  sure  enough,  the  dreaded 
coast  of  Africa  was  seen,  with  a  palpable  distinctness,  within 
two  miles  of  the  vessel.  It  presented  a  long  broken  lire  of 
sand-hills,  unrelieved  by  a  tree,  or  by  so  few  as  almost  to  merit 
this  description,  and  with  a  hazy  background  of  remote  moun 
tains  to  the  northeast.  The  margin  of  the  actual  coast  nearest 
to  the  ship  was  indented  with  bays  ;  and  even  rocks  appeared 
in  places  ;  but  the  general  character  of  the  scene  wras  that  of  a 
fierce  and  burning  sterility.  On  this  picture  of  desolation  all 
stood  gazing  in  awe  and  admiration  for  some  minutes,  as  the 
day  gradually  brightened,  until  a  cry  arose  from  forward,  of  ua 
ship!" 

"  Whereaway  ?"  sternly  demanded  Captain  Truck  ;  for  the 
sudden  and  unexpected  appearance  of  this  dangerous  coast  had 


•224  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

awakened  all  that  was  forbidding  and  severe  in  the  tempera 
ment  of  the  old  master  ;  "  whereaway,  sir  ?" 

"  On  the  larboard  quarter,  sir,  and  at  anchor." 

"  She  is  ashore  !"  exclaimed  half-a-dozen  voices  at  the  same 
instant,  just  as  the  words  came  from  the  last  speaker.  The 
glass  soon  settled  this  important  point.  At  the  distance  of 
about  a  league  astern  of  them  were,  indeed,  to  be  seen  the 
spars  of  a  ship,  with  the  hull  looming  on  the  sands,  in  a  way  to 
leave  no  doubt  of  her  being  a  wreck.  It  was  the  first  impres 
sion  of  all,  that  this,  at  last,  was  the  Foam  ;  but  Captain  Truck 
soon  announced  to  the  contrary. 

"It  is  a  Swede,  or  a  Dane,"  he  said,  "by  his  rig  and  his 
model.  A  stout,  solid,  compact  sea-boat,  that  is  high  and  dry 
on  the  sands,  looking  as  if  he  had  been  built  there.  He  does 
not  appear  even  to  have  bilged,  and  most  of  his  sails,  and  all 
of  his  yards,  are  in  their  places.  Not  a  living  soul  is  to  be 
seen  about  her  !  Ha !  there  are  signs  of  tents  made  of  sails  on 
*hore,  and  broken  bales  of  goods !  Her  people  have  been 
seized  and  carried  into  the  desert,  as  usual,  and  this  is  a  fearful 
hint  that  we  must  keep  the  Montauk  off  the  bottom.  Turn-to 
the  people,  Mr.  Leach,  and  get  up  your  sheers  that  we  may 
step  our  jury-masts  at  once  ;  the  smallest  breeze  on  the  land 
would  drive  us  ashore,  without  any  after-sail." 

While  the  mates  and  the  crew  set  about  completing  the 
work  they  had  prepared  the  previous  day,  Captain  Truck  and 
his  passengers  passed  the  time  in  ascertaining  all  they  could 
concerning  the  wreck,  and  the  reasons  of  their  being  them 
selves  in  a  position  so  very  different  from  what  they  had  pre 
viously  believed. 

As  respects  the  first,  little  more  could  be  ascertained ;  she  lay 
absolutely  high  and  dry  on  a  hard  sandy  beach,  where  she  had 
probably  been  cast  during  the  late  gale,  and  sufficient  signs 
were  made  out  by  the  captain,  to  prove  to  him  that  she  had 
been  partly  plundered.  More  than  this  could  not  be  discov 
ered  at  that  distance,  and  the  work  of  the  Montauk  was  too 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  225 

urgent  to  send  a  boat  manned  with  her  own  people  to  examine. 
Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Monday,  and  the  servants  of  the  two 
former,  however,  volunteering  to  pull  the  cutter,  it  was  finally 
decided  to  look  more  closely  into  the  facts,  Captain  Truck  him 
self  taking  charge  of  the  expedition.  While  the  latter  is  get 
ting  ready,  a  word  of  explanation  will  suffice  to  tell  the  reader 
the  reason  why  the  Montauk  had  fallen  so  much  to  leeward. 

The  ship  being  so  near  the  coast,  it  became  now  very  obvi 
ous  she  was  driven  by  a  current  that  set  along  the  land,  but 
which  it  was  probable,  had  set  towards  it  more  in  the  offing. 
The  imperceptible  drift  between  the  observation  of  the  previous 
day  and  the  discovery  of  the  coast,  had  sufficed  to  carry  the 
vessel  a  great  distance  ;  and  to  this  simple  cause,  coupled  per 
haps  with  some  neglect  in  the  steerage  during  the  past  night, 
was  her  present  situation  to  be  solely  attributed.  Just  at  this  mo 
ment,  the  little  air  there  was  came  from  the  land,  and  by  keep 
ing  her  head  off  shore,  Captain  Truck  entertained  no  doubt  of 
his  being  able  to  escape  the  calamity  that  had  befallen  the 
other  ship  in  the  fury  of  the  gale.  A  wreck  is  always  a  matter 
of  so  much  interest  with  manners,  therefore,  that  taking  all 
these  things  into  view,  he  had  come  to  the  determination  we 
have  mentioned,  of  examining  into  the  history  of  the  one  in 
sight,  so  far  as  circumstances  permitted. 

The  Montauk  carried  three  boats  ;  the  launch,  a  large,  safe, 
and  well-constructed  craft,  which  stood  in  the  usual  chucks  be 
tween  the  foremast  and  mainmast ;  a  jolly-boat,  and  a  cutter. 
It  was  next  to  impossible  to  get  the  first  into  the  water,  de 
prived  as  the  ship  was  of  its  mainmast ;  but  the  other  hanging 
at  davits,  one  on  each  quarter,  were  easily  lowered.  The  packets 
seldom  carry  any  arms  beyond  a  light  gun  to  fire  signals  with, 
the  pistols  of  the  master,  and  perhaps  a  fowling-piece  or  two. 
Luckily  the  passengers  were  better  provided  :  all  the  gentlemen 
had  pistols,  Mr.  Monday  and  Mr.  Dodge  excepted,  if  indeed  they 
properly  belonged  to  this  category,  as  Captain  Truck  would  say, 
and  most  of  them  had  also  fowling-pieces.  Although  a  careful 

10* 


226  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

examination  of  the  coast  with  the  glasses  offered  no  signs  of  the 
presence  of  any  danger  from  enemies,  these  arms  were  carefully 
collected,  loaded,  and  deposited  in  the  boats,  in  order  to  be  pre 
pared  for  the  worst.  Provisions  and  water  were  also  provided, 
and  the  party  were  about  to  proceed. 

Captain  Truck  and  one  or  two  of  the  adventurers  were  still 
on  the  deck,  when  Eve,  with  that  strange  love  of  excitement 
and  adventure  that  often  visits  the  most  delicate  spirits,  ex 
pressed  an  idle  regret  that  she  could  not  make  one  in  the  ex 
pedition. 

"  There  is  something  so  strange  and  wild  in  landing  on  an 
African  desert,"  she  said;  "and  I  think  a  nearer  view  of  the 
wreck  would  repay  us,  mademoiselle,  for  the  hazard." 

The  young  men  hesitated  between  their  desire  to  have  such 
a  companion,  and  their  doubts  of  the  prudence  of  the  step  ;  but 
Captain  Truck  declared  there  could  be  no  risk,  and  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  consenting,  the  whole  plan  was  altered  so  as  to  include 
the  ladies ;  for  there  was  so  much  pleasure  in  varying  the  mo 
notony  of  a  calm,  and  escaping  the  confinement  of  ship,  that 
everybody  entered  into  the  new  arrangement  with  zeal  and 
spirit. 

A  single  whip  was  rigged  on  the  fore-yard,  a  chair  was  slung, 
and  in  ten  minutes  both  ladies  were  floating  on  the  ocean  in 
the  cutter.  This  boat  pulled  six  oars,  which  were  manned  by 
the  servants  of  the  two  Messrs.  Effinghams,  Mr.  Blunt,  and  Mr. 
Sharp,  together  with  the  two  latter  gentlemen  in  person.  Mr. 
Effingham  steered.  Captain  Truck  had  the  jolly-boat,  of  which 
he  pulled  an  oar  himself,  aided  by  Saunders,  Mr.  Monday,  and 
Sir  George  Templemore  ;  the  mates  and  the  regular  crew  be 
ing  actively  engaged  in  rigging  their  jury-mast.  Mr.  Dodge 
declined  being  of  the  party,  feeding  himself  with  the  hope  that 
the  present  would  be  a  favorable  occasion  to  peep  into  the  state 
rooms,  to  run  his  eye  over  forgotten  letters  and  papers,  and 
otherwise  to  increase  the  general  stock  of  information  of  the 
editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer. 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  l!27 

'•  Look  to  your  chains,  and  see  all  clear  for  a  run  of  the  an 
chors,  Mr.  Leach,  should  you  set  within  a  mile  of  the  shore," 
called  out  the  captain,  as  they  pulled  off  from  the  vessel's  side. 
"The  ship  is  drifting  along  the  land,  but  the  wind  you  have 
will  hardly  do  more  than  meet  the  send  of  the  sea,  which  is  on 
shore :  should  any  thing  go  wrong,  show  an  ensign  at  the  head 
of  the  jury-slick  forward." 

The  mate  waved  his  hand,  and  the  adventurers  passed  with 
out  the  sound  of  the  voice.  It  was  a  strange  sensation  to  most 
of  those  in  the  boats,  to  find  themselves  in  their  present  situa 
tion.  Eve  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  in  particular,  could 
scarcely  credit  their  senses,  when  they  found  the  egg-shells 
that  held  them  heaving  and  setting  like  bubbles  on  those  long 
sluggish  swells,  which  had  seemed  of  so  little  consequence 
while  in  the  ship,  but  which  now  resembled  the  heavy  respira 
tions  of  a  leviathan.  The  boats,  indeed,  though  always  gliding 
onward,  impelled  by  the  oars,  appeared  at  moments  to  be  sent 
helplessly  back  and  forth,  like  playthings  of  the  mighty  deep, 
and  it  was  some  minutes  before  either  obtained  a  sufficient  sense 
of  security  to  enjoy  her  situation.  As  they  receded  from  the 
Montauk,  too,  their  situation  seemed  still  more  critical ;  and  with 
all  her  sex's  love  of  excitement,  Eve  heartily  repented  of  her  un 
dertaking  before  they  had  gone  a  mile.  The  gentlemen,  how 
ever,  were  all  in  good  s'pirits,  and  as  the  boats  kept  near  each 
other,  Captain  Truck  enlivening  their  way  with  his  peculiar  wit, 
and  Mr.  Effingham,  who  was  influenced  by  a  motive  of  humanity 
in  consenting  to  come,  being  earnest  and  interested,  Eve  soon 
began  to  entertain  other  ideas. 

As  they  drew  near  the  end  of  their  little  expedition,  entirely 
new  feelings  got  the  mastery  of  the  whole  party.  The  solitary 
and  gloomy  grandeur  of  the  coast,  the  sublime  sterility, — for 
even  naked  sands  may  become  sublime  by  their  vastness, — the 
heavy  meanings  of  the  ocean  on  the  beach,  and  the  entire  spec 
tacle  of  the  solitude,  blended  as  it  was  with  the  associations  of 
Africa,  time,  and  the  changes  of  history,  united  to  produce  sen- 


228  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

sations  of  a  pleasing  melancholy.  The  spectacle  of  the  ship, 
bringing*  with  it  the  images  of  European  civilization,  as  it  lay 
helpless  and  deserted  on  the  sands,  too,  heightened  all. 

This  vessel,  beyond  a  question,  had  been  driven  up  on  a  sea 
during  the  late  gale,  at  a  point  where  the  water  was  of  sufficient 
depth  to  float  her,  until  within  a  few  yards  of  the  very  spot  where 
she  now  lay ;  Captain  Truck  giving  the  following  probable  his 
tory  of  the  affair  : 

"  On  all  sandy  coasts,"  he  said,  "  the  return  waves  that  are 
cast  on  the  beach  form  a  bar,  by  washing  back  with  them  a 
portion  of  the  particles.  This  bar  is  usually  within  thirty  or 
forty  fathoms  of  the  shore,  and  there  is  frequently  sufficient 
water  within  it  to  float  a  ship.  As  this  bar,  however,  prevents 
the  return  of  all  the  water,  on  what  is  called  the  imder-tow, 
narrow  channels  make  from  point  to  point,  through  which  this 
excess  of  the  element  escapes.  These  channels  are  known  by 
the  appearance  of  the  water  over  them,  the  seas  breaking  less 
at  those  particular  places  than  in  the  spots  where  the  bottom 
lies  nearer  to  the  surface,  and  all  experienced  mariners  are  aware 
of  the  fact.  No  doubt,  the  unfortunate  master  of  this  ship, 
finding  himself  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  running  ashore  to 
save  the  lives  of  his  crew,  has  chosen  such  a  place,  and  has  con 
sequently  forced  his  vessel  up  to  a  spot  where  she  has  remained 
dry  as  soon  as  the  sea  fell.  So  worthy  a  fellow  deserved  a  bet 
ter  fate  ;  for  this  wreck  is  not  three  days  old,  and  yet  no  signs 
are  to  be  seen  of  any  who  were  in  that  stout  ship." 

These  remarks  were  made  as  the  crew  of  the  two  boats  lay 
on  their  oars,  at  a  short  distance  without  the  line  on  the  water, 
where  the  breaking  of  the  sea  pointed  out  the  position  of  the 
bar.  The  channel,  also,  was  plainly  visible  directly  astern  of 
the  ship,  the  sea  merely  rising  and  falling  in  it  without  comb 
ing.  A  short  distance  to  the  southward,  a  few  bold  black  rocks 
thrust  themselves  forward,  and  formed  a  sort  of  bay,  in  which 
it  was  practicable  to  land  without  risk ;  for  they  had  come  on 
the  coast  in  a  re2fi°n  where  the  monotonv  of  the  sands,  ns  it 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  229 

appeared  when  close  in,  was  little  relieved  by  the  presence  of 
any  thing  else. 

"  If  you  will  keep  the  cutter  just  without  the  breakers,  Mr. 
Effingham,"  Captain  Truck  continued,  after  standing  up  a  while 
and  examining  the  shore,  "  I  will  pull  into  the  channel,  and 
land  in  yonder  bay.  If  you  feel  disposed  to  follow,  you 
may  do  so  by  giving  the  tiller  to  Mr.  Blunt,  on  receiving  a 
signal  to  that  effect  from  me.  Be  steady,  gentlemen,  at  your 
oars,  and  look  well  to  the  arms  on  landing,  for  we  are  in  a 
knavish  part  of  the  world.  Should  any  of  the  monkeys  or 
orang-outangs  claim  kindred  with  Mr.  Saunders,  we  may  find 
it  no  easy  matter  to  persuade  them  to  leave  us  the  pleasure  of 
his  society." 

The  captain  made  a  sign,  and  the  jolly-boat  entered  the  chan 
nel.  Inclining  south,  it  was  seen  rising  and  falling  just  within 
the  breakers,  and  then  it  was  hid  by  the  rocks.  In  another 
minute,  Mr.  Truck,  followed  by  all  but  Mr.  Monday,  who  stood 
sentinel  at  the  boat,  was  on  the  rocks,  making  his  way  towards 
the  wreck.  On  reaching  the  latter,  he  ascended  swiftly  even  to 
the  main  cross-trees.  Here  a  long  examination  of  the  plain, 
beyond  the  bank  that  hid  it  from  the  view  of  all  beneath,  suc 
ceeded,  and  then  the  signal  to  come  on  was  made  to  those  who 
were  still  in  the  boat. 

"  Shall  we  venture  ?"  cried  Paul  Blunt,  soliciting  an  assent  by 
the  very  manner  in  which  he  put  the  question. 

"  What  say  you,  dear  father  ?" 

u  I  hope  we  may  riot  yet  be  too  late  to  succor  some  Christian 
in  distress,'  my  child.  Take  the  tiller,  Mr.  Blunt,  and  in 
Heaven's  good  name,  and  for  humanity's  sake,  let  us  proceed !" 

The  boat  advanced,  Paul  Blunt  standing  erect  to  steer,  his 
ardor  to  proceed  corrected  by  apprehensions  on  account  of  her 
precious  freight.  There  was  an  instant  when  the  ladies  trem 
bled,  for  it  seemed  as  if  the  light  boat  was  about  to  be  cast 
upon  the  shore,  like  the  froth  of  the  sea  that  shot  past  them ; 
but  the  steady  hand  of  him  who  steered  averted  the  danger, 


'230  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  X  i>  . 

and  in  another  miuute  they  were  floating  at  the  side  of  the 
jolly-boat.  The  ladies  got  ashore  without  much  difficulty,  and 
stood  on  the  summit  of  the  rock. 

" Nous  void  done,  en  Afrique"  exclaimed  Mademoiselle  Vief- 
ville,  with  that  sensation  of  singularity  that  comes  over  all 
when  they  first  find  themselves  in  situations  of  extraordinary 
novelty. 

"  The  wreck — the  wreck,"  murmured  Eve  ;  "  let  us  go  to  the 
wreck.  There  may  be  yet  a  hope  of  saving  some  wretched 
sufferer." 

Towards  the  wreck  they  all  proceeded,  after  leaving  two  of 
the  servants  to  relieve  Mr.  Monday  on  his  watch. 

It  was  an  impressive  thing  to  stand  at  the  side  of  a  ship  on 
the  sands  of  Africa,  a  scene  in  which  the  desolation  of  an  aban 
doned  vessel  was  heightened  by  the  desolation  of  a  desert. 
The  position  of  the  vessel,  which  stood  nearly  erect,  imbedded 
in  the  sands,  rendered  it  less  difficult  than  might  be  supposed 
for  the  ladies  to  ascend  to,  and  to  walk  her  decks,  a  rude  sta 
ging  having  been  made  already  to  facilitate  the  passage.  Hero 
the  scene  became  thrice  exciting,  for  it  was  the  very  type  of  a 
hastily  deserted  and  cherished  dwelling. 

Before  Eve  and  Mademoiselle  Yiefville  gained  the  deck,  the 
other  party  had  ascertained  that  no  living  soul  remained.  The 
trunks,  chests,  furniture,  and  other  appliances  of  the  cabin, 
had  been  rummaged,  and  many  boxes  had  been  raised  from 
the  hold,  and  plundered,  a  part  of  their  contents  still  lying 
scattered  on  the  decks.  The  ship,  however,  had  been  lightly 
freighted,  and  the  bulk  of  her  cargo,  which  was  salt,  was  ap 
parently  untouched.  A  Danish  ensign  was  found  bent  to  the 
halyards,  a  proof  that  Captain  Truck's  original  conjecture  con 
cerning  the  character  of  the  vessel  was  accurate.  Her  name, 
too,  was  ascertained  to  be  the  Carrier,  as  translated  into  Eng 
lish,  and  she  belonged  to  Copenhagen.  More  than  this  it  was 
not  easy  to  ascertain.  No  papers  were  found,  and  her  cargo,  or 
a.s  much  of  it  as  remained,  was  so  mixed  and  miscellaneous,  as 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  231 

Saunders  called  it,  that  no  plausible  guess  could  be  given  as  to 
the  port  where  it  had  been  taken  in,  if  indeed  it  had  all  been 
received  on  board  at  the  same  place. 

Several  of  the  light  sails  had  evidently  been  carried  off,  but 
all  the  heavy  canvas  was  left  on  the  yards,  which  remained  in 
their  places.  The  vessel  was  large,  exceedingly  strong,  as  was 
proved  by  the  fact  that  she  had  not  bilged  in  breaching,  and 
apparently  well  found.  Nothing  was  wanting  to  launch  her 
into  the  ocean  but  machinery  and  force,  and  a  crew  to  sail  her, 
when  she  might  have  proceeded  on  her  voyage  as  if  nothing- 
unusual  had  occurred.  But  such  a  restoration  was  hopeless, 
and  this  admirable  machine,  like  a  man  cut  off  in  his  youth 
and  vigor,  had  been  cast  upon  the  shores  of  this  inhospitable 
region,  to  moulder  where  it  lay,  unless  broken  up  for  the  wood 
and  iron  by  the  wanderers  of  the  desert. 

There  was  no  object  more  likely  to  awaken  melancholy  ideas 
in  a  mind  resembling  that  of  Captain  Truck's,  than  a  spectacle 
of  this  nature.  A  tine  ship,  complete  in  nearly  all  her  parts, 
virtually  uninjured,  and  yet  beyond  the  chance  of  further  use 
fulness,  in  his  eyes  was  a  picture  of  the  most  cruel  loss.  He 
cared  less  for  the  money  it  had  cost  than  for  the  qualities  and 
properties  that  were  thus  destroyed. 

lie  examined  the  bottom,  which  he  pronounced  capital  for 
stowing,  and  excellent  as  that  of  a  sea-boat ;  he  admired  the 
fastenings ;  applied  his  knife  to  try  the  quality  of  the  wood, 
and  pronounced  the  Norway  pine  of  the  spars  to  be  almost 
equal  to  any  thing  that  could  be  found  in  our  own  southern 
woods.  The  rigging,  too,  he  regarded  as  one  loves  to  linger 
over  the  regretted  qualities  of  a  deceased  friend. 

The  tracks  of  camels  and  horses  were  abundant  on  the  sands 
around  the  ship,  arid  especially  at  the  bottom  of  the  rude  sta 
ging  by  which  the  party  had  ascended,  and  which  had  evidently 
been  hastily  made  in  order  to  carry  articles  from  the  vessel  to 
the  backs  of  the  animals  that  were  to  bear  them  into  the  desert. 
The  foot-prints  of  men  were  also  to  be  seen,  and  there  WHS  a 


232  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

startling  and  mournful  certainty  in  distinguishing  the  marks  of 
shoes,  as  well  as  those  of  the  naked  foot. 

Judging  from  all  these  signs,  Captain  Truck  was  of  opinion 
the  wreck  must  have  taken  place  but  two  or  three  days  before, 
and  that  the  plunderers  had  not  left  the  spot  many  hours. 

"  They  probably  went  off  with  what  they  could  carry  at 
sunset  last  evening ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  be 
fore  many  days,  they,  or  others  in  their  place,  will  be  back 
again.  God  protect  the  poor  fellows  who  have  fallen  into 
this  miserable  bondage !  What  an  occasion  would  there  now 
be  to  rescue  one  of  them,  should  he  happen  to  be  hid  near 
this  spot !" 

The  idea  seized  the  whole  party  at  once,  and  all  eagerly 
turned  to  examine  the  high  bank,  which  rose  nearly  to  the 
summit  of  the  masts,  in  the  hope  of  discovering  some  con 
cealed  fugitive.  The  gentlemen  went  below  again,  and  Mr. 
Sharp  and  Mr.  Blunt  called  out  in  German,  and  English,  and 
French,  to  invite  any  one  who  might  be  secreted  to  come  forth. 
No  sound  answered  these  friendly  calls.  Again  Captain  Truck 
went  aloft  to  look  into  the  interior,  but  he  beheld  nothing  more 
than  the  broad  and  unpeopled  desert. 

A  place  where  the  camels  had  descended  to  the  beach  was 
at  no  great  distance,  and  thither  most  of  the  party  proceeded, 
mounting  to  the  level  of  the  plain  beyond.  In  this  little  ex 
pedition  Paul  Blunt  led  the  advance,  and  as  he  rose  over  the 
brow  of  the  bank,  he  cocked  both  barrels  of  his  fowling-piece, 
uncertain  what  might  be  encountered.  They  found,  however, 
a  silent  waste,  almost  without  vegetation,  and  nearly  as  track 
less  as  the  ocean  that  lay  beyond  them.  At  the  distance  of  a 
hundred  rods,  an  object  was  just  discernible,  lying  on  the 
plain  half-buried  in  sand,  and  thither  the  young  men  expressed 
a  wish  to  go,  first  calling  to  those  in  the  ship  to  send  a  man 
aloft  to  give  the  alarm,  in  the  event  of  any  party  of  the  Mussul 
mans  being  seen.  Mr.  Effingham,  too,  on  being  told  their  inten 
tion,  had  the  precaution  to  cause  Eve  and  Mademoiselle  Yief- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  233 

ville  to  get  into  the  cutter,  which  he  manned,  and  caused  to 
pull  out  over  the  bar,  where  she  lay  waiting  the  issue. 

A  camel's  path,  of  which  the  tracks  were  nearly  obliterated 
by  the  sands,  led  to  the  object ;  and  after  toiling  along  it,  the 
adventurers  soon  reached  the  desired  spot.  It  proved  to  be 
the  body  of  a  man  who  had  died  by  violence.  His  dress  and 
person  denoted  that  of  a  passenger  rather  than  that  of  a  sea 
man,  and  he  had  evidently  been  dead  but  a  very  few  hours, 
probably  not  twelve.  The  cut  of  a  sabre  had  cleft  his  skull. 
Agreeing  not  to  acquaint  the  ladies  with  this  horrible  discovery, 
the  body  was  hastily  covered  with  the  sand,  the  pockets  of  the 
dead  man  having  been  first  examined ;  for,  contrary  to  usage, 
his  person  had  not  been  stripped.  A  letter  was  found,  written 
by  a  wife  to  her  husband,  and  nothing  more.  It  was  in  German, 
and  its  expressions  and  contents,  though  simple  were  endearing 
and  natural.  It  spoke  of  the  traveller's  return ;  for  she  who 
wrote  it  little  thought  of  the  miserable  fate  that  awaited  her 
beloved  in  this  remote  desert. 

As  nothing  else  was  visible,  the  party  returned  hastily  to 
the  beach,  where  they  found  that  Captain  Truck  had  ended 
his  investigation,  and  was  impatient  to  return.  In  the  interest 
of  the  scene,  the  Montauk  had  disappeared  behind  a  headland, 
towards  which  she  had  been  drifting  when  they  left  her.  Her 
absence  created  a  general  sense  of  loneliness,  and  the  whole 
party  hastened  into  the  jolly-boat,  as  if  fearful  of  being  left. 
When  without  the  bar  again,  the  cutter  took  in  her  proper 
crew,  and  the  boats  pulled  away,  leaving  the  Dane  standing 
on  the  beach  in  his  solitary  desolation — a  monument  of  his  own 
disaster. 

As  they  got  further  from  the  land  the  Montauk  came  in 
sight  again,  and  Captain  Truck  announced  the  agreeable  intel 
ligence  that  the  jury  mainmast  was  up,  and  that  the  ship  had 
after-sail  set,  diminutive  and  defective  as  it  might  be.  Instead 
of  heading  to  the  southward,  however,  as  heretofore,  Mr.  Leach 
was  apparently  endeavoring  to  get  back  again  to  the  north- 


234 


HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


ward  of  the  headland  that  had  shut  in  the  ship,  or  was  trying 
to  retrace  his  steps.  Mr.  Truck  rightly  judged  that  this  was 
proof  his  mate  disliked  the  appearance  of  the  coast  astern  of 
him,  and  that  he  was  anxious  to  get  an  offing.  The  captain  in 
consequence  urged  his  men  to  row,  and  in  little  more  than  an 
hour  the  whole  party  were  on  the  deck  of  the  Montauk  again, 
and  the  boats  were  hanging  at  the  davits. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  235 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

*'  I  boarded  the  king's  ship ;  now  on  the  beak, 
Now  in  the  waist,  the  deck,  in  every  cabin, 
1  flam'd  amazement." 

TEMPEST. 

IF  Captain  Truck  distrusted  the  situation  of  his  own  ship 
when  he  saw  that  the  mate  had  changed  her  course,  he  liked 
it  still  less  after  he  was  on  board,  and  had  an  opportunity  to 
form  a  more  correct  judgment.  The  current  had  set  the  vessel 
not  only  to  the  southward,  but  in-shore,  and  the  send  of  the 
ground-swell  was  gradually,  but  inevitably,  heaving  her  in  to 
wards  the  land.  At  this  point  the  coast  was  more  broken  than 
at  the  spot  where  the  Dane  had  been  wrecked,  some  signs  of 
trees  appearing,  and  rocks  running  off  in  irregular  reefs  into  the 
sea.  More  to  the  south,  these  rocks  were  seen  without  the 
ship,  while  directly  astern  they  were  not  half  a  mile  distant. 
Still  the  wind  was  favorable,  though  light  and  baffling,  and 
Mr.  Leach  had  got  up  every  stitch  of  canvas  that  circumstances 
would  at  all  allow  ;  the  lead,  too,  had  been  tried,  and  the  bot 
tom  was  found  to  be  a  hard  sand  mixed  with  rocks,  and  the 
depth  of  the  water  such  as  to  admit  of  anchoring.  It  was  a 
sign  that  Captain  Truck  did  not  absolutely  despair  after  ascer 
taining  all  these  facts,  that  he  caused  Mr.  Saunders  to  be  sum 
moned  ;  for  as  yet,  none  of  those  who  had  been  in  the  boats 
had  breakfasted. 

"  Step  this  way,  Mr.  Steward,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  and  report 
the  state  of  the  coppers.  You  were  rummaging,  as  usuaL 
among  the  lockers  of  yonder  unhappy  Dane,  and  I  desire  to 


236  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

know  what  discoveries  you  have  made  !  You  will  please  to 
recollect,  that  on  all  public  expeditions  of  this  nature,  there 
must  be  no  peculation  or  private  journal  kept.  Did  you  see 
any  stock-fish  ?" 

"  Sir,  I  should  deem  this  ship  disgraced  by  the  admission  into 
her  pantry  of  such  an  article,  sir.  We  have  tongues  and  sounds 
in  plenty,  Captain  Truck,  and  no  gentleman  that  has  such  diet, 
need  ambition  a  stock-fish  !" 

"I  am  not  quite  of  your  way  of  thinking;  but  the  earth  is 
not  made  of  stock-fish !  Did  you  happen  to  fall  in  with  any 
butter?" 

"  Some,  sir,  that  is  scarcely  fit  to  slush  a  mast  with,  and  I  do 
think,  one  of  the  most  atrocious  cheeses,  sir,  it  was  ever  my  bad 
fortune  to  meet  with.  I  do  not  wonder  the  Africans  left  the 
wreck." 

"You  followed  their  example,  of  course,  Mr.  Saunders,  and 
left  the  cheese." 

"  I  followed  my  own  judgment,  sir,  for  I  would  not  stay  in  a 
ship  with  such  a  cheese,  Captain  Truck,  sir,  even  to  have  the 
honor  of  serving  under  so  great  a  commander  as  yourself.  I 
think  it  no  wonder  that  vessel  was  wrecked !  Even  the  sharks 
would  abandon  her.  The  very  thoughts  of  her  impurities,  sir, 
make  me  feel  unsettled  in  the  stomach." 

The  captain  nodded  his  head  in  approbation  of  this  senti 
ment,  called  for  a  coal,  and  then  ordered  breakfast.  The  meal 
was  silent,  thoughtful,  and  even  sad ;  every  one  was  thinking 
of  the  poor  Danes  and  their  sad  fate,  while  they  who  had  been 
on  the  plain  had  the  additional  subject  of  the  murdered  man 
for  their  contemplation. 

"  Is  it  possible  to  do  nothing  to  redeem  these  poor  people, 
father,  from  captivity  ?"  Eve  at  length  demanded. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  this,  my  child ;  but  I  see  no  other 
method  than  to  acquaint  their  government  of  their  situation." 

"  Might  we  not  contribute  something  from  our  own  means  to 
that  effect?  Money,  I  fancy,  is  the  chief  thing  necessary." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  237 

The  gentlemen  looked  at  each  other  in  approbation,  though 
a  reluctance  to  be  the  first  to  speak  kept  most  of  them  silent. 

"If  a  hundred  pounds,  Miss  Effingham,  will  be  useful,"  Sir 
George  Templemore  said,  after  the  pause  had  continued  an 
awkward  minute,  laying  a  banknote  of  that  amount  on  the 
table,  "  and  you  will  honor  us  by  becoming  the  keeper  of  the 
redemption  money,  I  have  great  pleasure  in  making  the  offer." 

This  was  handsomely  said,  and  as  Captain  Truck  afterwards 
declared,  handsomely  done  too,  though  it  was  a  little  abrupt, 
and  caused  Eve  to  hesitate  and  redden. 

"I  shall  accept  your  gift,  sir,"  she  said ;  "and  with  your  per 
mission  will  transfer  it  to  Mr.  Effingham,  who  will  better  know 
what  use  to  put  it  to,  in  order  to  effect  our  benevolent  purpose. 
I  think  I  can  answer  for  as  much  more  from  himself." 

"  You  may,  with  certainty,  my  dear — and  twice  as  much,  if 
necessary.  John,  this  is  a  proper  occasion  for  your  interfer 
ence." 

"  Put  me  down  at  what  you  please,"  said  John  Effingham, 
whose  charities  in  a  pecuniary  sense  were  as  unlimited,  as  in 
feeling  they  were  apparently  restrained.  "  One  hundred  or  one 
thousand,  to  rescue  that  poor  crew !" 

"  I  believe,  sir,  we  must  all  follow  so  good  an  example,"  Mr. 
Sharp  observed ;  "  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  this  scheme  will 
not  prove  useless.  I  think  it  may  be  effected  by  means  of  some 
of  the  public  agents  at  Mogadore." 

Mr.  Dodge  raised  many  objections,  for  it  really  exceeded  his 
means  to  give  so  largely,  and  his  character  was  formed  in  a 
school  too  envious  and  jealous  to  confess  an  inferiority  on  a 
point  even  as  worthless  as  that  of  money.  Indeed,  he  had  so 
long  been  accustomed  to  maintain  that  "  one  man  was  as  good 
as  another,"  in  opposition  to  his  senses,  that,  like  most  of  those 
who  belong  to  this  impracticable  school,  he  had  tacitly  admit 
ted  in  his  own  mind,  the  general  and  vulgar  ascendency  of 
mere  wealth ;  and,  quite  as  a  matter  of  course,  he  was  averse 
to  confessing  his  own  inferiority  on  a  point  that  he  had  made 


238  HOMEWARD       BOUND. 

to  be  all  in  all,  while  loudest  in  declaiming  against  any  inferiori 
ty  whatever.  He  walked  out  of  the  cabin,  therefore,  with  strong- 
heart-burnings  and  jealousies,  because  others  had  presumed  to 
give  that  which  it  was  not  really  in  his  power  to  bestow. 

On  the  other  hand,  both  Mademoiselle  Viefville  and  Mr. 
Monday  manifested  the  superiority  of  the  opinions  in  which 
they  had  been  trained.  The  first  quietly  handed  a  Napoleon 
to  Mr.  Effingham,  who  took  it  with  as  much  attention  and 
politeness  as  he  received  any  of  the  larger  contributions ;  while 
the  latter  produced  a  five-pound  note,  with  a  hearty  good-will 
that  redeemed  the  sin  of  many  a  glass  of  punch  in  the  eyes  of 
his  companions. 

Eve  did  not  dare  to  look  towards  Paul  Blunt,  while  this  col 
lection  was  making;  but  she  felt  regret  that  he  did  not  join  in 
it.  He  was  silent  and  thoughtful,  and  even  seemed  pained, 
and  she  wondered  if  it  were  possible  that  one,  who  certainly 
lived  in  a  style  to  prove  that  his  income  was  large,  could  be  so 
thoughtless  as  to  have  deprived  himself  of  the  means  of  doing 
that  which  he  so  evidently  desired  to  do.  But  most  of  the 
company  was  too  well-bred  to  permit  the  matter  to  become  the 
subject  of  conversation,  and  they  soon  rose  from  table  in  a 
body.  The  mind  of  Eve,  however,  was  greatly  relieved  when 
her  father  told  her  that  the  young  man  had  put  a  hundred 
sovereigns  in  gold  into  his  hands  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that 
he  had  seconded  this  offering  with  another,  of  embarking  for 
Mogadore  in  person,  should  they  get  into  the  Cape  de  Verds, 
or  the  Canaries,  with  a  view  of  carrying  out  the  charitable  plan 
with  the  least  delay. 

"  He  is  a  noble-hearted  young  man,"  said  the  pleased  father, 
as  he  communicated  this  fact  to  his  daughter  and  cousin  ;  "  and 
I  shall  not  object  to  the  plan." 

"  If  he  offer  to  quit  this  ship  one  minute  sooner  than  is  neces 
sary,  he  does,  indeed,  deserve  a  statue  of  gold,"  said  John 
Effi.ngharn ;  "  for  it  has  all  that  can  attract  a  young  man  like 
him,  and  all  too  that  can  awaken  his  jealousy." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  239 

"Cousin  Jack!"  exclaimed  Eve  reproachfully,  quite  thrown 
off  her  guard  by  the  abruptness  and  plainness  of  this  language. 

The  quiet  smile  of  Mr.  Effingharn  proved  that  he  understood 
both,  but  he  made  no  remark.  Eve  instantly  recovered  her 
spirits,  and  angry  at  herself  for  the  girlish  exclamation  that  had 
escaped  her,  she  turned  on  her  assailant.  "  I  do  not  know  that 
I  ought  to  be  seen  in  an  aside  with  Mr.  John  Effingham,"  she 
said,  "  even  when  it  is  sanctioned  with  the  presence  of  my  own 
father." 

"  And  may  I  ask  why  so  much  sudden  reserve,  my  offended 
beauty  ?" 

"  Merely  that  the  report  is  already  active,  concerning  the 
delicate  relation  in  which  we  stand  towards  each  other." 

John  Effingham  looked  surprised,  but  he  suppressed  his  cu 
riosity  from  a  long  habit  of  affecting  an  indifference  he  did  not 
always  feel.  The  father  was  less  dignified,  for  he  quietly  de 
manded  an  explanation. 

"  It  would  seem,"  returned  Eve,  assuming  a  solemnity  suited 
to  a  matter  of  interest,  "  that  our  secret  is  discovered.  While 
we  were  indulging  our  curiosity  about  this  unfortunate  ship, 
Mr.  Dodge  was  gratifying  the  laudable  industry  of  the  Active 
Inquirer,  by  prying  into  our  staterooms." 

"  This  meanness  is  impossible  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Effingham. 

"  Nay,"  said  John,  "  no  meanness  is  impossible  to  a  dema 
gogue — a  pretender  to  things  of  which  he  has  even  no  just 
conception — a  man  who  lives  to  envy  and  traduce ;  in  a  word, 
a  quasi  gentleman.  Let  us  hear  what  Eve  has  to  say." 

"  My  information  is  from  Ann  Sidley,  who  saw  him  in  the 
act.  Now  the  kind  letter  you  wrote  my  father,  cousin  Jack, 
just  before  we  left  London,  and  which  you  wrote  because  you 
would  not  trust  that  honest  tongue  of  yours  to  speak  the  feel 
ings  of  that  honest  heart,  is  the  subject  of  my  daily  study  ;  not 
on  account  of  its  promises,  you  will  believe  me,  but  on  account 
of  the  strong  affection  it  displays  to  a  girl  who  is  not  worthy 
of  one  half  you  feel  and  do  for  her." 


240  PI  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     BOUND. 

«  Pshaw  r 

"  Well,  let  it  then  be  pshaw  !  I  had  read  that  letter  this 
very  morning,  and  carelessly  left  it  on  my  table.  This  letter 
Mr.  Dodge,  in  his  undying  desire  to  lay  every  thing  before  the 
public,  as  becomes  his  high  vocation,  and  as  in  duty  bound, 
has  read ;  and  misconstruing  some  of  the  phrases,  as  will  some 
times  happen  to  a  zealous  circulator  of  news,  he  has  drawn  the 
conclusion  that  I  am  to  be  made  a  happy  woman  as  soon  as 
we  reach  America,  by  being  converted  from  Miss  Eve  Effingham 
into  Mrs.  John  Effingham." 

"  Impossible  !  No  man  can  be  such  a  fool,  or  quite  so  great 
a  miscreant !" 

44 1  should  rather  think,  my  child,"  added  the  milder  father, 
44  that  injustice  has  been  done  Mr.  Dodge.  No  person,  in  the 
least  approximating  to  the  station  of  a  gentleman,  could  even 
think  of  an  act  so  base  as  this  you  mention." 

44  Oh  !  if  this  be  all  your  objection  to  the  tale,"  observed  the 
cousin,  "  I  am  ready  to  swear  to  its  truth.  But  Eve  has  caught 
a  little  of  Captain  Truck's  spirit  of  mystifying,  and  is  determined 
to  make  a  character  by  a  bold  stroke  in  the  beginning.  She  is 
clever,  and  in  time  may  rise  to  be  a  quiz." 

4'  Thank  you  for  the  compliment,  cousin  Jack,  which,  however, 
I  am  forced  to  disclaim,  as  I  never  was  more  serious  in  my  life. 
That  the  letter  was  read,  Nanny,  who  is  truth  itself,  affirms  she 
saw.  That  Mr.  Dodge  has  since  been  industriously  circulating 
the  report  of  my  great  good  fortune,  she  has  heard  from  the 
mate,  who  had  it  from  the  highest  source  of  information  direct; 
and  that  such  a  man  would  be  likely  to  come  to  such  a  con 
clusion,  you  have  only  to  recall  the  terms  of  the  letter  yourself, 
to  believe." 

4k  There  is  nothing  in  my  letter  to  justify  any  notion  so 
silly." 

44  An  Active  Inquirer  might  make  discoveries  you  little  dream 
of,  dear  cousin  Jack.  You  speak  of  its  being  time  to  cease 
roving,  of  settling  yourself  at  last,  of  never  parting,  and,  prodi- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  241 

gal  as  you  are,  of  making  Eve  the  future  mistress  of  your  for 
tune.  Now  to  all  this,  recreant,  confess,  or  I  shall  never  again 
put  faith  in  man." 

John  Effingham  made  no  answer,  but  the  father  warmly 
expressed  his  indignation,  that  any  man  of  the  smallest  preten 
sions  to  be  admitted  among  gentlemen,  should  be  guilty  of  an 
act  so  base. 

"  We  can  hardly  tolerate  his  presence,  John,  and  it  is  almost 
a  matter  of  conscience  to  send  him  to  Coventry." 

"  If  you  entertain  such  notions  of  decorum,  your  wisest  "way, 
Edward,  will  be  to  return  to  the  place  whence  you  have  come ; 
for,  trust  me,  you  will  find  scores  of  such  gentlemen  where  you 
aie  going  !" 

"  I  shall  not  allow  you  to  persuade  me  I  know  my  own  coun 
try  so  little.  Conduct  like  this  will  stamp  a  man  with  disgrace 
in  America  as  well  as  elsewhere." 

"  Conduct  like  this  would,  but  it  will  no  longer.  The  pell-mell 
that  rages  has  brought  honorable  men  into  a  sad  minority,  and 
even  Mr.  Dodge  will  tell  you  the  majority  must  rule.  Were  he 
to  publish  my  letter,  a  large  portion  of  his  readers  would  fancy 
he  was  merely  asserting  the  liberty  of  the  pm-s.  Heavens  save 
us  !  You  have  been  dreaming  abroad,  Ned  Effingham,  while 
your  country  has  retrograded,  in  all  that  is  respectable  and 
good,  a  century  in  a  dozen  years  1" 

As  this  was  the  usual  language  of  John  Effingham,  neither 
of  his  listeners  thought  much  of  it,  though  Mr.  Effingham 
more  decidedly  expressed  an  intention  to  cut  off  even  the  slight 
communication  with  the  offender  he  had  permitted  himself  to 
keep  up  since  they  had  been  on  board. 

"  Think  better  of  it,  dear  father,"  said  Eve  ;  "  for  such  a  man 
is  scarcely  worthy  of  even  your  resentment.  He  is  too  much 
your  inferior  in  principles,  manners,  character,  station,  and 
every  thing  else,  to  render  him  of  so  much  account ;  and  then, 
were  we  to  clear  up  this  masquerade  into  which  the  chances 
of  a  ship  have  thrown  us,  we  might  have  our  scruples  cou- 

11 


242  HOME  \V  A  11  D     BOUND. 

corning  others,  as  well  as  concerning  this  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing." 

"  Say  rather  an  ass,  shaved  and  painted  to  resemble  a  zebra," 
muttered  John.  "  The  fellow  has  no  property  as  respectable  as 
the  basest  virtue  of  a  wolf." 

"  He  has  at  least  rapacity." 

"  And  can  howl  in  :i  pack.  This  much,  then,  I  will  concede 
to  yon  ;  but  I  agree  with  Eve,  we  must  either  punish  him 
affirmatively,  by  pulling  his  ears,  or  treat  him  with  contempt, 
which  is  always  negative  or  silent.  I  wish  he  had  entered  the 
stateroom  of  that  fine  young  fellow,  Paul  Blunt,  who  is  of  an 
age  and  a  spirit  to  give  him  a  lesson  that  might  make  a 
paragraph  for  his  Active  Inquirer,  if  not  a  scissors'  extract  of 
himself." 

Eve  knew  that  the  offender  had  been  there  too,  but  she  had 
too  much  prudence  to  betray  him. 

"  This  will  only  so  much  the  more  oblige  him,"  she  said, 
laughingly,  "  for  Mr.  Blunt,  in  speaking  of  the  editor  of  the 
Active  Inquirer,  said  that  he  had  the  failing  to  believe  that  this 
earth,  and  all  it  contained,  was  created  merely  to  furnish  ma 
terials  for  newspaper  paragraphs." 

The  gentlemen  laughed  with  the  amused  Eve,  and  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  remarked,  that  "  tliere  did  seem  to  be  men  so  perfectly 
se'lish,  so  much  devoted  to  their  own  interests,  and  so  little 
sensible  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others,  as  to  manifest  a 
desire  to  render  the  press  superior  to  all  other  power;  not,"  he 
concluded,  "  in  the  way  of  argument,  or  as  an  agent  of  reason, 
but  as  a  master,  coarse,  corrupt,  tyrannical,  and  vile  ;  the  instru 
ment  of  selfishness,  instead  of  the  right,  and  when  not  employed 
;;s  the  promoter  of  personal  interests,  to  be  employed  as  the 
tool  of  personal  passions." 

"  Your  father  will  become  a  convert  to  my  opinions,  Miss 
Effingham,"  said  John,  "and  he  will  not  be  home  a  twelve 
month  before  he  will  make  the  discovery  that  the  government 
is  a  press-ocracy,  and  its  ministers,  self-chosen  and  usurpers, 


H  O  M  E  \V  A   K  D      15  O  U  X  D  .  243 

composed  of  those  who  have  the  least  at  stake,  even  as  to 
character." 

Mr.  Effingham  shook  his  head  in  dissent,  but  the  conversation 
changed  in  consequence  of  a  stir  in  the  ship.  The  air  from 
the  land  had  freshened,  and  even  the  heavy  canvas  on  which 
the  Montauk  was  now  compelled  principally  to  rely,  had  been 
asleep,  as  mariners  term  it,  or  had  blown  out  from  the  mast, 
where  it  stood  inflated  and  steady,  a  proof  at  sea,  where  the 
water  is  always  in  motion,  that  the  breeze  is  getting  to  be 
fresh.  Aided  by  this  power,  the  ship  had  overcome  the  united 
action  of  the  heavy  groundswell  and  of  the  current,  and  was 
stealing  out  from  under  the  land,  when  the  air  murmured  for 

O 

an  instant,  as  if  about  to  blow  still  fresher,  and  then  all  the  sails 
Happed.  The  wind  had  passed  away  like  a  bird,  and  a  dark 
line  to  seaward  denoted  the  approach  of  the  breeze  from  the 
ocean.  The  stir  in  the  vessel  was  occasioned  by  the  prepara 
tions  to  meet  this  change. 

The  new  wind  brought  little  with  it  beyond  the  general  dan 
ger  of  blowing  on  shore.  The  breeze  was  light,  and  not  more 
than  sufficient  to  force  the  vessel  through  the  water,  in  her 
present  condition,  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the  hour,  and  this  too 
in  a  line  nearly  parallel  with  the  coast.  Captain  Truck  saw, 
therefore,  at  a  glance,  that  he  should  be  compelled  to  anchor. 
Previously,  however,  to  doing  this,  he  had  a  long  talk  with  his 
mates,  and  a  boat  was  lowered. 

The  lead  was  cast,  and  the  bottom  was  found  to  be  still  good, 
though  a  hard  sand,  which  is  not  the  best  holding-ground. 

"  A  heavy  sea  would  cause  the  ship  to  drag,"  Captain  Truck 
remarked,  "should  it  come  on  to  blow,  and  the  lines  of  dark 
rocks  astern  of  them  would  make  chips  of  the  Pennsylvania  in 
an  hour,  were  that  great  ship  to  lie  on  it." 

He  entered  the  boat,  and  pulled  along  the  reefs  to  examine 
r.n  inlet  that  Mr.  Leach  reported  to  have  been  seen,  before  he 
got  the  ship's  head  to  the  northward.  Could  an  entrance  be 
found  at  this  point,  the  vessel  might  possibly  be  carried  within 


244  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

the  reef,  and  a  favorite  scheme  of  the  captain's  could  be  put  in 
force,  one  to  which  he  now  attached  the  highest  importance. 
A  mile  brought  the  boat  up  to  the  inlet,  where  Mr.  Truck  found 
the  following  appearances  :  The  general  formation  of  the  coast 
in  sight  was  that  of  a  slight  curvature,  within  which  the  ship 
had  so  fur  drifted  as  to  be  materially  inside  a  line  drawn  from 
headland  to  headland.  There  was,  consequently,  little  hope  of 
urging  a  vessel,  crippled  like  the  Montauk,  against  wind,  sen, 
and  current,  out  again  into  the  ocean.  For  about  a  league 
abreast  of  the  ship  the  coast  was  rocky,  though  low,  the  rocks 
running  off  from  the  shore  quite  a  mile  in  places,  and  every 
where  fully  half  that  distance.  The  formation  was  irregular, 
but  it  had  the  general  character  of  a  reef,  the  position  of  which 
was  marked  by  breakers,  as  well  as  by  the  black  heads  of  rocks 
that  here  and  there  showed  themselves  above  the  water.  The 
inlet  was  narrow,  crooked,  and  so  far  environed  by  rocks  as  to 
render  it  questionable  whether  there  was  a  passage  at  all,  though 
the  smoothness  of  the  water  had  raised  hopes  to  that  effect  in 
Mr.  Leach. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Truck  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  this  pas 
sage,  he  felt  so  much  encouraged  by  the  appearance  of  things, 
that  he  gave  the  concerted  signal  for  the  ship  to  veer  round 
and  to  stand  to  the  southward.  This  was  losing  ground  in  the 
way  of  offing,  but  tack  the  Montauk  could  not  with  so  little 
wind,  and  the  captain  saw  by  the  drift  she  had  made  since  he 
left  her,  that  promptitude  was  necessary.  The  ship  might 
anchor  off  the  inlet,  as  well  as  anywhere  else,  if  reduced  to 
anchoring  outside  at  all,  and  then  there  was  always  the  chance 
of  entering. 

As  soon  as  the  ship's  head  was  again  to  the  southward,  and 
Captain  Truck  felt  certain  that  she  was  lying  along  the  reef  at 
a  reasonably  safe  distance,  and  in  as  good  a  direction  as  he 
could  hope  for,  he  commenced  his  examination.  Like  a  dis 
creet  seaman,  he  pulled  off  from  the  rocks  to  a  suitable  dis- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  245 

tance,  for  should  an  obstacle  occur  outside,  he  well  knew  any 
depth  of  water  further  in  would  be  useless.  The  day  was  so 
fine,  and  in  the  absence  of  rivers,  the  ocean  so  limpid  in  that 
low  latitude,  that  it  was  easy  to  see  the  bottom  at  a  consider 
able  depth.  But  to  this  sense,  of  course,  the  captain  did  not 
trust,  for  he  kept  the  lead  going  constantly,  although  all  eyes 
were  also  employed  in  searching  for  rocks. 

The  first  cast  of  the  lead  was  in  five  fathoms,  and  these 
soundings  were  held  nearly  up  to  the  inlet,  where  the  lead 
struck  a  rock  in  three  fathoms  and  a  half.  At  this  point,  then, 
a  more  careful  examination  was  made ;  but  three  and  a  half 
was  the  shallowest  cast.  As  the  Montauk  drew  nearly  a  fathom 
less  than  this,  the  cautious  old  master  proceeded  closer  in. 
Directly  in  the  mouth  of  the  inlet  was  a  large  flat  rock,  that 
rose  nearly  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  which,  when  the  tide 
was  low,  was  probably  bare.  This  rock  Captain  Truck  at  first 
believed  would  defeat  his  hopes  of  success,  which  by  this  time 
were  strong ;  but  a  closer  examination  showed  him  that  on 
one  side  of  it  was  a  narrow  passage,  just  wide  enough  to  admit 
a  ship. 

From  this  spot  the  channel  became  crooked,  but  it  was  suffi 
ciently  marked  by  the  ripple  on  the  reef;  and  after  a  careful 
investigation,  he  found  it  was  possible  to  carry  three  fathoms 
quite  within  the  reef,  where  a  large  space  existed  that  was 
gradually  filling  up  with  sand,  but  which  was  nearly  all  covered 
with  water  when  the  tide  was  in,  as  was  now  the  case,  and 
which  had  channels,  as  usual,  between  the  banks.  Following 
one  of  these  channels  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  he  found  a  basin  of 
four  fathoms  of  water,  large  enough  to  take  a  ship  in,  and,  for 
tunately,  it  was  in  close  proximity  to  a  portion  of  the  reef  that 
was  always  bare,  when  a  heavy  sea  was  not  beating  over  it. 
Here  he  dropped  a  buoy,  for  he  had  come  provided  with  several 
fragments  of  spars  for  this  purpose ;  and,  on  his  return,  the 
channel  was  similarly  marked  off,  at  all  the  critical  points.  On 


240)  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

the  flat  rock,  in  the  inlet,  one  of  the  men  was  left,  standing 
up  to  his  waist  in  the  water,  it  being  certain  that  the  tide 
was  falling. 

The  boat  now  returned  to  the  ship,  which  it  met  at  the  dis 
tance  of  half  a  mile  from  the  inlet.  The  current  setting  south 
wardly,  her  progress  had  been  more  rapid  than  when  heading 
north,  and  her  drift  had  been  less  towards  the  laud.  Still  there 
was  so  little  -wind,  so  steady  a  ground-swell,  and  it  was  possible 
to  carry  so  little  after-sail,  that  great  doubts  were  entertained 
of  being  able  to  weather  the  rocks  sufficiently  to  turn  into  the 
inlet.  Twenty  times  in  the  next  half-hour  was  the  order  to  let 
go  the  anchor  on  the  point  of  being  given,  as  the  wind  baffled, 
and  as  often  was  it  countermanded,  to  take  advantage  of  its 
reviving.  These  were  feverish  moments,  for  the  ship  was  now 
so  near  the  reef  as  to  render  her  situation  very  insecure  in  the 
event  of  the  wind's  rising,  or  of  a  sea's  getting  up,  the  sand  of 
the  bottom  being  too  hard  to  make  good  holding-ground.  Still, 
as  there  was  a  possibility,  in  the .  present  state  of  the  weather, 
of  kedging  the  ship  off  a  mile  into  the  offing,  if  necessary,  Cap 
tain  Truck  stood  on  with  a  boldness  he  might  not  otherwise 
have  felt.  Tiie  anchor  hung  suspended  by  a  single  turn  of  the 
stopper,  ready  to  drop  at  a  signal,  and  Mr.  Truck  stood  between 
the  knight-heads,  watching  the  slow  progress  of  the  vessel,  and 
accurately  noticing  every  foot  of  leeward  set  she  made,  as  com 
pared  with  the  rocks. 

All  this  time  the  poor  fellow  stood  in  the  water,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  his  friends,  who,  in  their  turn,  were  anxiously  watch 
ing  his  features,  as  they  gradually  grew  more  distinct. 

"  I  see  his  eyes,"  cried  the  captain,  cheerily  ;  "  take  a  drag 
at  the  bowlines,  and  let  her  head  up  as  much  as  she  will,  Mr. 
Leach,  and  never  mind  those  sham  topsails.  Take  them  in  at 
once,  sir;  they  do  us,  now,  more  harm  than  good." 

The  clewline  blocks  rattled,  and  the  topgallant-sails,  which 
were  made  to  do  the  duty  of  topsails,  but  which  would  hardly 
spread  to  the  lower  yards,  so  as  to  set  on  a  wind,  came  rapidly 


HOMEWARD      BO  U  N  D.  247 

in.  Five  minutes  of  intense  doubt  followed,  when  the  captain 
gave  the  animating  order  to — 

"  Man  the  main-clew  garnets,  boys,  and  stand  by  to  make  a 
run  of  it !" 

This  was  understood  to  be  a  sign  that  the  ship  was  far  enough 
to  windward,  and  the  command  to  "  In  mainsail,"  which  soon 
succeeded,  was  received  with  a  shout. 

"  Hard  up  with  the  helm,  and  stand  by  to  lay'the  fore-yard 
square !"  cried  Captain  Truck,  rubbing  his  hands.  "  Look  that 
both  bowers  are  clear  for  a  run  ;  and  you,  Toast,  bring  me  the 
brightest  coal  in  the  galley." 

The  movements  of  the  Montauk  were  necessarily  slow ;  but 
she  obeyed  her  helm,  and  fell  off  until  her  bows  pointed  in 
towards  the  sailor  in  the  water.  This  tine  fellow,  the  moment 
he  saw  the  ship  approaching,  waded  to  the  verge  of  the  rock, 
where  it  went  off  perpendicularly  to  the  bottom,  and  waved  to 
them  to  come  on  without  fear. 

"Come  within  ten  feet  of  me,"  he  shouted.  "There  is  noth 
ing  to  spare  on  the  other  side." 

As  the  captain  was  prepared  for  this,  the  ship  was  steered 
accordingly,  and  as  she  hove  slowly  past  on  the  rising  and  fall 
ing  water,  a  rope  was  thrown  to  the  man,  who  was  hauled  on 
board. 

"Port!"  cried  the  captain,  as  soon  as  the  rock  was  passed  ; 
"  port  your  helm,  sir,  and  stand  for  the  first  buoy." 

In  this  manner  the  Montauk  drove  slowly  but  steadily  on,  until 
she  had  reached  the  basin,  where  one  anchor  was  let  go  almost 
as  soon  as  she  entered.  The  chain  was  paid  out  until  the  ves 
sel  was  forced  over  to  some  distance,  and  then  the  other  bower 
was  dropped.  The  foresail  was  hauled  up  and  handed,  and 
chain  was  given  the  ship,  which  was  pronounced  to  be  securely 
moored. 

"  Now,"  cried  the  captain,  all  his  anxiety  ceasing  with  the 
responsibility,  "  I  expect  to  be  made  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Philosophical  Society,  at  least,  which  is  learned  company  for  a 


248  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

man  who  has  never  been  at  college,  for  discovering  a  port  on 
the  coast  of  Africa,  which  harbor,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  with 
out  too  much  vanity,  I  hope  to  be  permitted  to  call  Port  Truck. 
If  Mr.  Dodge,  however,  should  think  this  too  anti-republican, 
we  will  compromise  the  matter  by  calling  it  Port  Truck  and 
Dodge ;  or  the  town  that  no  doubt  will  sooner  or  later  arise  on 
its  banks,  may  be  called  Dodgeborough,  and  I  will  keep  the 
harbor  to  myself." 

"  Should  Mr..  Dodge  consent  to  this  arrangement,  he  will 
render  himself  liable  to  the  charge  of  aristocracy,"  said  Mr. 
Sharp  ;  for  as  all  felt  relieved  by  finding  themselves  in  a 
place  of  security,  so  all  felt  disposed  to  join  in  the  pleasantry. 
t:  I  dare  say  his  modesty  would  prevent  his  consenting  to  the 
plan." 

"  Why,  gentlemen,"  returned  the  subject  of  these  remarks, 
"  I  do  not  know  that  we  are  to  refuse  honors  that  are  fairly  im 
posed  on  us  by  the  popular  voice  ;  and  the  practice  of  naming 
towns  and  counties  after  distinguished  citizens,  is  by  110  means 
uncommon  with  us.  A  few  of  my  own  neighbors  have  been 
disposed  to  honor  me  in  this  way  already,  and  my  paper  is 
issued  from  a  hamlet  that  certainly  does  bear  my  own  un 
worthy  name.  So  you  perceive  there  will  be  no  noveltv  in  the 
appellation." 

"  I  would  have  made  oath  to  it,"  cried  the  captain,  u  from 
your  well-established  humility.  Is  the  place  as  large  as  Lon 
don  r 

"  It  can  boast  of  little  more  than  my  own  office,  a  tavern,  a 
store,  and  a  blacksmith's  shop,  captain,  as  yet ;  but  Rome  was 
not  built  in  a  day." 

"  Your  neighbors,  sir,  must  be  people  of  extraordinary  dis 
cernment  ;  but  the  name  T' 

"  That  is  not  absolutely  decided.  At  first  it  was  called  Dodge- 
town,  but  this  did  not  last  long,  being  thought  vulgar  and  com 
mon-place.  Six  or  eight  weeks  afterwards,  we — " 

"  We,  Mr.  Dodge  !" 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  249 

"  I  mean  the  people,  sir, — I  am  so  much  accustomed  to  con 
nect  myself  with  the  people,  that  whatever  they  do,  I  think  I 
had  a  hand  in." 

"  And  very  properly,  sir,"  observed  John  Effingham,  "  as 
probably  without  you,  there  would  have  been  no  people  at  all." 

"  What  may  be  the  population  of  Dodgetown,  sir  ?"  asked  the 
persevering  captain,  on  this  hint. 

"  At  the  census  of  January,  it  was  seventeen ;  but  by  the 
census  of  March,  there  were  eighteen.  I  have  made  a  calcula 
tion  that  shows,  if  we  go  on  at  this  rate,  or  by  arithmetical 
progression,  it  will  be  a  hundred  in  about  ten  years,  which  will 
be  a  very  respectable  population  for  a  country  place.  I  beg 
pardon,  sir,  the  people  six  or  eight  weeks  afterwards,  altered 
the  name  to  Dodgeborough  ;  but  a  new  family  coming  in  that 
summer,  a  party  was  got  up  to  change  it  to  Dodge-ville,  a  name 
that  was  immensely  popular,  as  ville  means  city  in  Latin  ;  but 
it  must  be  owned  the  people  like  change,  or  rotation  in  names, 
as  well  as  in  office,  and  they  called  the  place  Butterfield  Hol 
low,  for  a  whole  month,  after  the  new  inhabitant,  whose  name 
is  Butterfield.  He  moved  away  in  the  fall ;  and  so,  after  trying 
Belindy  (Anglice  Belinda),  Nineveh,  Grand  Cairo,  and  Pumpkin 
Valley,  they  made  me  the  offer  to  restore  the  ancient  name, 
provided  some  addendum  more  noble  and  proper  could  be  found 
than  town,  or  ville,  or  borough ;  it  is  not  yet  determined  what 
it  shall  be,  but  I  believe  we  shall  finally  settle  down  in  Dodge- 
ople,  or  Dodgeopolis." 

"  For  the  season  ;  and  a  very  good  name  it  will  prove  for  a 
short  cruise,  I  make  no  question.  The  Butterfield  Hollow  was 
a  little  like  rotation  in  office,  in  truth,  sir." 

"  I  didn't  like  it,  captain,  so  I  gave  Squire  Butterfield  to 
understand,  privately  ;  for  as  he  had  a  majority  with  him,  I 
didn't  approve  of  speaking  too  strongly  on  the  subject.  As 
soon  as  I  got  him  out  of  the  tavern,  however,  the  current  set 
the  other  way." 

"  You  fairly  uncorked  him  !" 

11  * 


250  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"That  I  did,  and  no  one  ever  heard  of  him,  or  of  his  hollow, 
after  his  retreat.  There  are  a  few  discontented  and  arrogant 
innovators,  who  affect  to  call  the  place  by  its  old  name  of  Mor 
ton  ;  but  these  are  the  m.re  vassals  of  a  man  who  once  owned 
the  patent,  and  who  has  now  been  dead  these  forty  years.  We 
are  not  the  people  to  keep  his  old  musty  name,  or  to  honor  dry 
bones." 

"  Served  him  right,  sir,  and  like  men  of  spirit !  If  he  wants 
a  place  called  after  himself,  let  him  live,  like  other  people.  A 
dead  man  has  no  occasion  for  a  name,  and  there  should  be  a 
law  passed,  that  when  a  man  slips  his  cables,  he  should  bequeath 
his  name  to  some  honest  fellow  who  has  a  worse  one.  It  might 
be  well  to  compel  all  great  men  in  particular,  to  leave  their  re 
nown  to  those  who  cannot  o-et  any  for  themselves." 

"  I  will  venture  to  suggest  an  improvement  on  the  name,  if 
Mr.  Dodge  will  permit  me,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  who  had  been  an 
amused  listener  to  the  shoit  dialogue.  "  Dodgeople  is  a  little 
short,  and  may  be  offensive  by  its  brusqiierie.  By  inserting  a 
single  letter,  it  will  become  Dodge-people  ;  or,  there  is  the  al 
ternative  of  Dodge-ad rianople,  which  will  be  a  truly  sonorous 
and  republican  title.  Adrian  was  an  emperor,  and  even  Mr. 
Dodge  might  not  disdain  the  con] unction." 

By  this  time,  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer  beo-an  to  be 
extremely  elevated — for  this  was  assailing  him  on  his  weakest 
side — and  he  laughed  and  rubbed  his  hands  as  if  he  thought 
the  joke  particularly  pleasant.  This  person  had  also  a  peculi 
arity  of  judgment  that  was  singularly  in  opposition  to  all  his 
open  professions,  a  peculiarity,  however,  that  belongs  rather  to 
his  class  than  to  the  individual  member  of  it.  Ultra  as  a 
democrat  and  an  American,  Mr.  Dodge  had  a  sneaking  predi 
lection  in  favor  of  foreign  opinions.  Although  practice  had 
made  him  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  frauds,  deceptions, 
and  vileness  of  the  ordinary  arts  of  paragraph-making,  he  never 
failed  to  believe  religiously  in  the  veracity,  judgment,  good  faith, 
honesty,  and  talents  of  any  thing  that  wras  imported  in  the  form 


II  O  M  E  W  A  U  D     B  O  U  X  D  .  251 

of  types.  He  had  been  weekly,  for  years,  accusing  bis  nearest 
brother  of  the  craft,  of  lying,  and  he  could  not  be  altogether 
ignorant  of  his  own  propensity  in  the  same  way  j  but,  not 
withstanding  all  his  experience  in  the  secrets  of  the  trade, 
whatever  reached  him  from  a  European  journal,  he  implicitly 
swallowed  whole.  One,  who  knew  little  of  the  man,  might 
have  supposed  he  feigned  credulity  to  answer  his  own  purposes ; 
but  this  would  be  doing  injustice  to  his  faith,  which  was  perfect, 
being  based  on  that  provincial  admiration,  and  provincial  igno 
rance,  that  caused  the  countryman,  who  went  to  London  for  the 
first  time,  to  express  his  astonishment  at  finding  the  king  a  man. 
As  was  due  to  his  colonial  origin,  his  secret  awe  and  reverence 
for  an  Englishman  was  exactly  in  proportion  to  his  protestations 
of  love  for  the  people,  and  his  deference  for  rank  was  graduated 
on  a  scale  suited  to  the  heart-burning  and  jealousies  he  enter 
tained  for  all  whom  he  felt  to  be  his  superiors.  Indeed,  one 
was  the  cause  of  the  other;  for  they  who  really  are  indifferent 
to  their  own  social  position,  are  usually  equally  indifferent  to 
that  of  others,  so  long  as  they  are  not  made  to  feel  the  difference 
by  direct  assumptions  of  superiority. 

When  Mr.  Sharp,  whom  even  Mr.  Dodge  had  discovered  to 
be  a  gentleman, — and  an  English  gentleman  of  course, — eriteied 
into  the  trifling  of  the  moment,  therefore,  so  far  from  detecting 
the  mystification,  the  latter  was  disposed  to  believe  himself  a 
subject  of  interest  with  this  person,  against  whose  exclusiveness 
and  haughty  reserve,  notwithstanding,  he  had  been  making  side- 
hits  ever  since  the  ship  had  sailed.  But  the  avidity  with  which 
the  Americans  of  Mr.  Dodge's  temperament  are  apt  to  swallow 
the  crumbs  of  fkttery  that  fall  from  the  Englishman's  table,  is 
matter  of  history,  and  the  editor  himself  was  never  so  happy  as 
when  he  could  lay  hold  of  a  paragraph  to  republish,  in  which  a 
few  words  of  comfort  were  doled  out  by  the  condescending 
mother  to  the  never-dying  faith  of  the  daughter.  So  far,  there 
fore,  fiom  taking  umbrage  at  what  had  been  said,  he  continued 
the  subject  long  after  the  captain  had  gone  to  his  duty,  and 


252  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

with  so  much  perseverance  that  Paul  Blunt,  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Sharp  escaped,  took  an  occasion  to  compliment  that  gentleman 
on  his  growing  intimacy  with  the  refined  and  single-minded 
champion  of  the  people.  The  other  admitted  his  indiscretion ; 
and  if  the  affair  had  no  other  consequences,  it  afforded  these 
two  fine  young  men  a  moment's  merriment,  at  a  time  when 
anxiety  had  been  fast  getting  the  ascendency  over  their  more 
cheerful  feelings.  When  they  endeavored  to  make  Miss  Effing- 
ham  share  in  the  amusement,  however,  that  young  lady  heard 
them  with  gravity ;  for  the  meanness  of  the  act  discovered  by 
Nanny  Sidley,  had  indisposed  her  to  treat  the  subject  of  their 
comments  with  the  familiarity  of  even  ridicule.  Perceiving 
this,  though  unable  to  account  for  it,  the  gentlemen  changed 
the  discourse,  and  soon  became  sufficiently  grave  by  contem 
plating  their  own  condition. 

The  situation  of  the  Montauk  was  now  certainly  one  to  excite 
uneasiness  in  those  who  were  little  acquainted  with  the  sea,  a* 
well  as  in  those  who  were.  It  was  very  much  like  that  for 
which  Miss  Effingham's  nurse  had  pined,  having  many  rocks 
and  sands  in  sight,  with  the  land  at  no  great  distance.  In  order 
that  the  reader  may  understand  it  more  clearly,  we  shall  de 
scribe  it  with  greater  minuteness. 

To  the  westward  of  the  ship  lay  the  ocean,  broad,  smoo'h. 
glittering,  but,  heaving  and  setting,  with  its  eternal  breathings, 
which  always  resemble  the  respiration  of  some  huge  monster. 
Between  the  vessel  and  this  waste  of  water,  and  within  three 
hundred  feet  of  the  first,  stretched  an  irregular  line  of  ripple, 
dotted  here  and  there  with  the  heads  of  low  naked  rocks,  mark 
ing  the  presence  and  direction  of  the  reef. 

This  was  all  that  would  interpose  between  the  basin  and  the 
raging  billows,  should  another  storm  occur;  but  Captain  Truck 
thought  this  would  suffice  so  far  to  break  the  waves  as  to  render 
the  anchorage  sufficiently  secure.  Astern  of  the  ship,  however, 
a  rounded  ridge  of  sand  began  to  appear  as  the  tide  fell,  within 
forty  fathoms  of  the  vessel,  and  as  the  bottom  was  hard,  and 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  253 

difficult  to  get  an  anchor  into  it,  there  was  the  risk  of  dragging 
on  this  bank.  We  say  that  the  bottom  was  hard,  for  the  reader 
should  know  that  it  is  not  the  weight  of  the  anchor  that  secures 
the  ship,  but  the  hold  its  pointed  fluke  and  broad  palm  get  of 
the  ground.  The  coast  itself  was  distant  less  than  a  mile,  and 
the  entire  basin  within  the  reef  was  fast  presenting  spits  of 
sand,  as  the  water  fell  on  the  ebb.  Still  there  were  many 
channels,  and  it  would  have  been  possible,  for  one  who  knew 
their  windings,  to  have  sailed  a  ship  several  leagues  among 
them,  without  passing  the  inlet;  these  channels  forming  a  soit 
of  intricate  net-work,  in  every  direction  from  the  vessel. 

When  Captain  Truck  had  coolly  studied  all  the  peculiarities 
of  his  position,  he  set  about  the  duty  of  securing  his  ship,  in 
good  earnest.  The  two  light  boats  were  brought  nnder  the 
bows,  and  the  stream  anchor  was  lowered,  and  fastened  to  a 
spar  that  lay  across  both.  This  anchor  was  carried  to  the  bank 
astern,  and,  by  dint  of  sheer  strength,  it  was  laid  over  its  sum 
mit  with  a  fluke  buried  to  the  shank  in  the  hard  sand.  By 
means  of  a  hawser,  and  a  purchase  applied  to  its  end,  the  men 
on  the  banks  next  roused  the  chain  out,  and  shackled  it  to  the 
ling.  The  bight  was  hove-in,  and  the  ship  secured  astern,  so 
as  to  prevent  a  shift  of  wind,  off  the  land,  from  forcing  her  on 
the  reef.  As  no  sea  could  come  from  this  quarter,  the  single 
anchor  and  chain  were  deemed  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  As 
soon  as  the  boats  were  at  liberty,  and  before  the  chain  had  been 
got  ashore,  two  kedges  were  carried  to  the  reef,  and  laid  among 
the  rocks,  in  such  a  way  that  their  flukes  and  stocks  equally 
got  hold  of  the  projections.  To  these  kedges  lighter  chains 
were  secured  ;  and  when  all  the  bights  were  hove-in,  to  as  equal 
a  strain  as  possible,  Captain  Truck  pronounced  his  ship  in  readi 
ness  to  ride  out  any  gale  that  would  be  likely  to  blow.  So  far 
as  the  winds  and  waves  might  affect  her,  the  Montauk  was,  in 
truth,  reasonably  safe ;  for  on  the  side  where  danger  was  most 
to  be  apprehended,  she  had  two  bowers  down,  and  four  parts 
of  smaller  chain  were  attached  to  the  two  kedo-es.  Nor  had 


254  II  0  M  E  W  A  II  D      BO  U  N  D  . 

Captain  Truck  fallen  into  the  common  error  of  supposing  he 
had  so  much  additional  strength  in  his  fastenings,  by  simply 
running  the  chains  through  the  rings,  but  he  had  caused  each 
to  be  separately  fastened,  both  in-board  and  to  the  kedges,  by 
which  means  each  length  of  the  chain  formed  a  distinct  and  in 
dependent  fastening  of  itself. 

So  absolute  is  the  sovereignty  of  a  ship,  that  no  one  had 
presumed  to  question  the  master  as  to  his  motives  for  all  this 
extraordinary  precaution,  though  it  was  the  common  impression 
that  he  intended  to  remain  where  they  were  until  the  wind  be 
came  favorable,  or  at  least,  until  all  danger  of  being  thrown 
upon  the  coast,  from  the  currents  and  the  ground-swell,  should 
liave  ceased.  Paul  Blunt  observed,  that  he  fancied  it  was  the 
intention  to  take  advantage  of  the  smooth  water  within  the 
reef,  to  get  up  a  better  and  a  more  efficient  set  of  jury-masts. 
But  Captain  Truck  soon  removed  all  doubts  by  letting  the  truth 
be  known.  While  on  board  the  Danish  wreck,  he  had  criti 
cally  examined  her  spars,  sails,  and  rigging,  and,  though  adapt 
ed  for  a  ship  two  hundred  tons  smaller  than  the  Montauk,  he 
was  of  opinion  they  might  be  fitted  to  the  latter  vessel,  and 
made  to  answer  all  the  necessary  purposes  for  crossing  the 
ocean,  provided  the  Mussulmans  and  the  weather  would  permit 
the  transfer. 

"  We  have  smooth  w^ater  and  light  airs,"  he  said,  when  con 
cluding  his  explanation,  "and  the  current  sets  southwardly 
along  this  coast;  by  means  of  all  our  force,  hard  working,  a 
kind  Providence,  and  our  own  enterprise,  I  hope  yet  to  see  the 
Montauk  enter  the  port  of  New  York,  with  royals  set,  and 
ready  to  carry  sail  on  a  wind.  The  seaman  who  cannot  rig 
his  ship  with  sticks  and  ropes  and  blocks  enough,  might  as  well 
stay  ashore,  Mi1.  Dodge,  and  publish  an  hebdomadal.  And  so, 
my  dear  young  lady,  by  looking  along  the  land,  the  day  after 
to-morrow,  in  the  northern  board  here,  you  may  expect  to  see 
a  raft  booming  down  upon  you  that  will  cheer  your  heart,  and 
once  more  raise  the  hope  of  a  Christmas  dinner  in  New  York, 
in  all  IOVCIN  of  trood  faro." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  255 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

"  Here,  in  the  sands, 
Thee  I'll  rake  up— :' 

LEAR. 

His  mind  made  up,  his  intentions  announced,  and  his  ship 
in  readiness,  Captain  Truck  gave  his  orders  to  proceed  with 
promptitude  and  clearness.  The  ladies  remaining  behind,  he 
observed  that  the  two  Messrs.  Effingham,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
would  stay  with  them  as  protectors,  though  little  could  harm 
them  where  they  were. 

"I  propose  to  leave  the  ship  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Blunt,"  he 
said,  "  for  I  perceive  something  about  that  gentleman  which 
denotes  a  nautical  instinct.  If  Mr.  Sharp  choose  to  remain 
also,  your  society  will  be  the  more  agreeable,  and  in  exchange, 
gentlemen,  I  ask  the  favor  of  the  strong  arms  of  all  your  ser 
vants.  Mr.  Monday  is  my  man  in  fair  or  foul,  and  so,  I  flatter 
myself,  will  be  Sir  George  Templemore ;  and  as  for  Mr.  Dodge, 
if  he  stay  behind,  why  the  Active  Inquirer  will  miss  a  notable 
paragraph,  for  there  shall  be  no  historian  to  the  expedition,  but 
one  of  my  own  appointing.  Mr.  Sounders  shall  have  the  honor 
of  cooking  for  you  in  the  mean  while,  and  I  propose  taking 
every  one  else  to  the  Dane." 

As  no  serious  objections  could  be  made  to  this  arrangement, 
within  an  hour  of  the  time  when  the  ship  was  fastened,  the 
cutter  and  jolly-boat  departed,  it  being  the  intention  of  Captain 
Truck  to  reach  the  wreck  that  evening,  in  season  to  have  his 
sheers  ready  to  raise  by  daylight  in  the  morning;  for  he  hoped 
to  be  back  again  in  the  course  of  the  succeeding  day.  No 


250  II  O  M  E  AY  A  R  D      BOUND. 

time  was  to  be  lost,  lie  knew,  the  return  of  the  Arabs  being 
hourly  expected,  and  the  tranquillity  of  the  open  sea  being  at 
all  times  a  matter  of  the  greatest  uncertainty.  With  the  de 
clared  view  of  making  quick  work,  and  with  the  secret  appre 
hension  of  a  struggle  with  the  owners  of  the  country,  the  captain 
took  with  him  every  officer  and  man  in  his  ship  that  could  pos 
sibly  be  spared,  and  as  many  of  the  passengers  as  he  thought 
might  be  useful.  As  numbers  might  be  important  in  the  way 
of  intimidation,  he  cared  almost  as  much  for  appearances  as  for 
any  thing  else,  or  certainly  he  would  not  have  deemed  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Dodge  of  any  great  moment;  for  to  own  the 
truth,  he  expected  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer  would  prove 
the  quality  implied  by  the  first  word  of  the  title  of  his  journal, 
as  much  in  any  other  wray  as  in  fighting. 

Neither  provisions  nor  water,  beyond  what  might  be  neces 
sary  in  pulling  to  the  wreck,  nor  ropes,  nor  blocks,  nor  any 
thing  but  arms  and  ammunition,  were  taken  in  the  boats  ;  for 
the  examination  of  the  morning  had  shown  the  captain  that, 
notwithstanding  so  much  had  been  plundered,  a  sufficiency  still 
remained  in  the  stranded  vessel.  Indeed  the  fact  that  so  much 
had  been  left  was  one  of  his  reasons  for  hastening  off  himself, 
as  he  deemed  it  certain  that  they  who  had  taken  away  what 
was  gone,  would  soon  return  for  the  remainder.  The  fowling- 
pieces  and  pistols,  with  all  the  powder  and  ball  in  the  ship, 
were  taken ;  a  light  gun  that  was  on  board,  for  the  purpose  of 
awaking  sleepy  pilots,  being  left  loaded,  with  the  intention  of 
serving  for  a  signal  of  alarm,  should  any  material  change  occur 
in  the  situation  of  the  ship. 

The  party  included  thirty  men,  and  as  most  had  firearms  of 
one  sort  or  another,  they  pulled  out  of  the  inlet  with  spirit  and 
great  confidence  in  their  eventual  success.  The  boats  were 
crowded,  it  is  true,  but  there  was  room  to  row,  and  the  launch 
had  been  left  in  its  place  on  deck,  because  it  was  known 
that  two  boats  were  to  be  found  in  the  wreck,  one  of  which 
was  large  :  in  short,  as  Captain  Truck  had  meditated  this  expe- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  257 

client  from  the  moment  he  ascertained  the  situation  of  the  Dane, 
he  now  set  about  carrying  it  into  effect  with  method  and  dis 
crimination.  We  shall  first  accompany  him  on  his  way,  leav 
ing  the  small  party  in  the  Montauk  for  our  future  attention  in 
another  chapter. 

The  distance  between  the  two  vessels  was  about  four  leagues, 
and  a  headland  intervening,  those  in  the  boats  in  less  than  an 
hour  lost  sight  of  their  own  ship,  as  she  lay  shorn  of  her  pride 
anchored  within  the  reef.  At  almost  the  same  moment,  the 
wreck  came  in  view,  and  Captain  Truck  applied  his  glass  with 
great  interest,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  state  of  things  in  that 
direction.  All  was  tranquil — no  signs  of  any  one  having  visited 
the  spot  since  morning  being  visible.  This  intelligence  was 
given  to  the  people,  who  pulled  at  their  oars  the  more  willingly 
under  the  stimulus  of  probable  success,  driving  the  boats  ahead 
with  increasing  velocity. 

The  sun  was  still  some  distance  above  the  horizon,  when  the 
cutter  and  jolly-boat  rowed  through  the  narrow  channel  astern 
of  the  wreck,  and  brought  up  as  before  by  the  side  of  the  rocks. 
Leaping  ashore,  Captain  Truck  led  the  way  to  the  vessel,  and, 
in  five  minutes,  he  was  seen  in  the  forward  cross-trees,  examin 
ing  the  plain  with  his  glass.  All  was  as  solitary  and  deserted 
as  when  before  seen,  and  the  order  was  immediately  given  to 
commence  operations  without  delay. 

A  gang  of  the  best  seamen  got  out  the  spare  topmast  and 
lower-yard  of  the  Dane,  and  set  about  fitting  a  pair  of  sheers,  a 
job  that  would  be  likely  to  occupy  them  several  hours.  Mr. 
Leach  led  a  party  up  forward,  and  the  second  mate  went  up 
with  another  further  aft,  each  proceeding  to  send  down  its  re 
spective  topgallant-mast,  topsail-yard,  and  topnu-.st ;  while 
Captain  Truck,  from  the  deck,  superintended  the  same  work  on 
the  mizzen-mast.  As  the  men  worked  with  spirit,  and  a  strong 
party  remained  below  to  give  the  drags,  and  to  come  up  the 
lanyards,  spar  came  down  after  spar  with  rapidity,  and  just  as 
the  sun  dipped  into  the  ocean  to  the  westward,  every  thing  but 


258  II  O  M  K  AY  A  K  D      BOUND. 

the  lower-masts  AVRS  lying'  on  the  sands,  alongside  of  tlie  ship: 
nothing  having  been  permitted  to  touch  the  decks  in  descend 
ing.  Previously,  however,  to  sending  down  the  lower-yards, 
the  launch  had  been  lifted  from  its  bed  and  landed  also  by  the 
side  of  the  vessel. 

All  hands  Avere  noAv  mustered  on  the  sands,  and  the  boat  Avas 
launched,  an  operation  of  some  delicacy,  as  heavy  rollers  Avere 
occasionally  coming  in.  As  soon  as  it  floated,  this  powerful 
auxiliary  was  swept  up  to  the  rocks,  and  then  the  men  began 
to  load  it  Avith  the  standing  rigging  and  the  sail;5,  the  latter 
having  been  unbent,  as  fast  as  each  spar  came  down.  Two 
kedges  were  found,  and  a  hawser  Avas  bent  to  one,  when  the 
launch  Avas  carried  outside  of  the  bar  and  anchored.  Lines 
being  brought  in,  the  yards  Avere  hauled  out  to  the  same  place, 
and  strongly  lashed  together  for  the  night.  A  great  deal  of 
running  rigging,  many  blocks,  and  divers  other  small  articles, 
were  put  into  the  boats  of  the  Montauk ;  and  the  jolly-boat  of 
the  wreck,  Avhich  Avas  still  hanging  at  her  stern,  Avas  also 
lowered  and  got  into  the  Avater.  With  these  acquisitions,  the 
party  had  noAv  four  boats,  one  of  Avhich  was  heavy,  and  capa 
ble  of  carrying  considerable  freight. 

By  this  time  it  Avas  so  lafe  and  so  dark,  that  Captain  Truck 
determined  to  suspend  his  labors  until  morning.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  hours  of  active  toil,  he  had  secured  all  the  yards,  the 
sails,  the  standing  and  running  rigging,  the  boats,  and  many  of 
the  minor  articles  of  the  Dane ;  and  nothing  of  essential  im 
portance  remained  but  the  three  loAver  masts.  These,  it  is  true, 
Avere  all  in  all  to  him,  for  without  them  he  would  be  but  little 
better  off  than  he  was  before,  since  his  own  ship  had  spare  can 
vas  and  spare  yards  enough  to  make  a  respectable  show  above 
the  foundation.  This  foundation,  hoAvever,  was  the  great  re 
quisite  ;  and  his  principal  motive  in  taking  the  other  things  Avas 
to  have  a  better  fit  than  could  be  obtained  by  using  spars  and 
sails  that  Avere  not  intended  to  go  together. 

At  eight  o^clock,  the  people  got  their  suppers,  and  prepared 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  259 

to  turn  in  for  the  night.  Some  conversation  passed  between 
Captain  Truck  and  his  mates,  concerning  the  manner  of  dis 
posing  of  the  men  while  they  slept,  which  resulted  in  the 
former's  keeping  a  well-armed  party  of  ten  with  him  in  the 
ship,  while  the  remainder  were  put  in  the  boats,  all  of  which 
were  fastened  to  the  launch,  as  she  lay  anchored  otf  the  bar. 
Here  they  made  beds  of  the  sails,  and  setting  a  watch,  the 
greater  portion  of  both  gangs  were  soon  as  quietly  asleep  as  if 
lying  in  their  own  berths  on  board  the  Montauk.  Not  so  with 
Captain  Truck  and  his  mates.  They  walked  the  deck  of  the 
Dane  fully  an  hour  after  the  men  were  silent,  and  for  some 
time  after  Mr.  Monday  had  finished  the  bottle  of  wine  he  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  bring  with  him  from  the  packet,  and 
had  bestowed  his  person  among  some  old  sails  in  the  cabin. 
The  night  was  a  bright  starlight,  but  the  moon  was  not  to  be 
expected  until  near  morning.  The  wind  came  off  the  sands  of 
the  interior  in  hot  puffs,  but  so  lightly  as  to  sound,  that  it 
breathed  past  them  like  the  sighings  of  the  desert. 

"  It  is  lucky,  Mr.  Leach,"  said  the  captain,  continuing  the 
discourse  he  had  been  holding  with  his  mate  in  a  low  voice, 
under  the  sense  of  the  insecurity  of  their  situation ;  "  it  is  lucky, 
Mr.  Leach,  that  we  got  out  the  stream  anchor  astern,  else  we 
should  have  had  the  ship  rubbing  her  copper  against  the  corners 
of  the  rocks.  This  air  seems  light,  but  under  all  her  canvas 
the  Montauk  would  soon  flap  her  way  out  from  this  coast,  if  all 
were  ready." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,  if  all  were  ready  I"  repeated  Mr.  Leach,  as  if  he 
knew  how  much  honest  labor  was  to  be  expended  before  that 
happy  moment  could  arrive. 

"  If  all  were  ready.  I  think  we  may  be  able  to  whip  these 
three  sticks  out  of  this  fellow  by  breakfast-time  in  the  morning, 
and  then  a  couple  of  hours  will  answer  for  the  raft;  after 
which,  a  pull  of  six  or  eight  more  will  take  us  back  to  our  own 
craft." 

"  If  all  goes  well,  it  may  be  done,  sir." 


260  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  Well  or  ill,  it  must  be  done.  We  are  not  in  a  situation  to 
play  at  jack-straws !" 

"  I  hope  it  may  be  done,  sir." 

"  Mr.  Leach  !" 

"  Captain  Truck !" 

"  We  are  in  a  d le  category,  sir,  if  the  truth  must  be 

spoken." 

"That  is  a  word  I  am  not  much  acquainted  with,  but  we 
have  an  awkward  berth  of  it  here,  if  that  be  what  you  mean  !" 

A  long  pause,  during  which  these  two  seamen,  one  of  whom 
was  old,  the  other  young,  paced  the  deck  diligently. 

"Mr.  Leach!" 

"  Captain  Truck !" 

"Do  you  ever  pray  ?" 

"I  have  done  such  a  thing  in  ray  time,  sir ;  but  since  I  have 
sailed  with  you,  I  have  been  taught  to  work  first  and  pray 
afterwards ;  and  when  the  difficulty  has  been  gotten  over  by 
the  work,  the  prayers  have  commonly  seemed  surplusage." 

"You  should  take  to  your  thanksgivings.  I  think  your 
grandfather  was  a  parson,  Leach  ?" 

"Yes,  he  was,  sir,  and  I  have  been  told  your  father  followed 
the  same  trade." 

"  You  have  been  told  the  truth,  Mr.  Leach.  My  father  was 
as  meek,  and  pious,  and  humble  a  Christian  as  ever  thumped  a 
pulpit.  A  poor  man,  and,  if  truth  must  be  spoken,  a  poor 
preacher  too;  but  a  zealous  one,  and  thoroughly  devout.  I 
ran  away  from  him  at  twelve,  and  never  passed  a  week  at  a 
time  under  his  roof  afterwards.  He  could  not  do  much  for  me, 
for  he  had  little  education  and  no  money,  and,  I  believe,  carried 
on  the  business  pretty  much  by  faith.  He  was  a  good  man, 
Leach,  notwithstanding  there  might  be  a  little  of  a  take-in  for 
such  a  person  to  set  up  as  a  teacher ;  and,  as  for  my  mother,  if 
there  ever  was  a  pure  spirit  on  earth,  it  was  in  her  body !" 

"  Ay,  that  is  the  way  commonly  with  the  mothers,  sir." 

"She  taught  me  to  pray,"  added  the  captain,  speaking  a  lit- 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  .  261 

tie  thick,  "  but  since  I've  been  in  this  London  line,  to  own  the 
truth,  I  find  but  little  time  for  any  thing  but  hard  work,  until, 
for  want  of  practice,  praying  has  got  to  be  among  the  hardest 
things  I  can  turn  my  hand  to." 

"  That  is  the  way  with  all  of  us ;  it  is  my  opinion,  Captain 
Truck,  these  London  and  Liverpool  liners  will  have  a  good 
many  lost  souls  to  answer  for." 

"  Ay,  ay,  if  we  could  put  it  on  them,  it  would  do  well  enough  ; 
but  my  honest  old  father  ahvays  maintained  that  every  man 
must  stand  in  the  gap  left  by  his  own  sins ;  though  he  did  as 
sert,  also,  that  we  were  all  foreordained  to  shape  our  courses 
starboard  or  port,  even  before  we  were  launched. ' 

"  That  doctrine  makes  an  easy  tide's-way  of  life ;  for  I  see 
no  great  use  in  a  man's  carrying  sail  and  jamming  himself  up 
in  the  wind,  to  claw  off  immoralities,  when  he  knows  he  is  to 
fetch  up  upon  them  after  all  his  pains." 

"  I  have  worked  all  sorts  of  traverses  to  get  hold  of  this  mat 
ter,  and  never  could  make  any  thing  of  it.  It  is  harder  than 
logarithms.  If  my  father  had  been  the  only  one  to  teach  it,  I 
should  have  thought  less  about  it,  for  he  was  no  scholar,  and 
might  have  been  paying  it  out  just  in  the  way  of  business;  but 
then  my  mother  believed  it,  body  and  soul,  and  she  was  too 
good  a  woman  to  stick  long  to  a  course  that  had  not  truth  to 
back  it." 

"  Why  not  believe  it  heartily,  sir,  and  let  the  wheel  fly  ? 
One  gets  to  the  end  of  the  v'y'ge  on  this  tack  as  well  as  on 
another." 

"  There  is  no  great  difficulty  in  working  up  to,  or  even 
through  the  passage  of  death,  Leach,  but  the  great  point  is  to 
know  the  port  we  are  to  moor  in  finally.  My  mother  taught 
me  to  pray,  and  when  I  was  ten  I  had  underrun  all  the  Com 
mandments,  knew  the  Lord's  Creed,  and  the  Apostles'  Prayer, 
and  had  made  a  handsome  slant  into  the  Catechism ;  but,  dear 
me,  dear  me,  it  has  all  oozed  out  of  me,  like  the  warmth  from 
a  Greenlander." 


262  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"Folks  were  better  educated  in  your  time,  Captain  Truck, 
than  they  are  now-a-days,  by  all  I  can  learn." 

"  No  doubt  of  that  in  the  world.  In  my  time,  younkers  were 
taught  respect  for  their  betters,  and  for  age,  and  their  Cate 
chism,  and  piety,  and  the  Apostles'  Prayer,  and  all  those  sort 
of  things.  But  America  has  fallen  astern  sadly  in  manners 
within  the  last  fifty  years.  I  do  not  natter  myself  with  being 
as  good  as  I  was  when  under  my  excellent  dear  mother's  com 
mand,  but  there  are  worse  men  in  the  world,  and  out  of  New 
gate,  too,  than  John  Truck.  Now,  in  the  way  of  vices,  Leach, 
I  never  swear." 

"  Not  you,  sir ;  and  Mr.  Monday  never  drinks." 

As  the  protestation  of  sobriety  on  the  part  of  their  passenger 
had  got  to  be  a  joke  with  the  officers  and  men  of  the  ship,  Cap 
tain  Truck  had  no  difficulty  in  understanding  his  mate,  and 
though  nettled  at  a  retort  that  was  like  usurping  his  own  right 
to  the  exclusive  quizzing  of  the  vessel,  he  was  in  a  mood  much 
too  sentimental  and  reflecting  to  be  angry.  After  a  moment's 
pause,  he  resumed  the  dialogue,  as  if  nothing  had  been  said  to 
disturb  its  harmony. 

"  No,  I  never  swear ;  or,  if  I  do,  it  is  in  a  small,  gentlemanly 
way,  and  with  none  of  your  foul-mouthed  oaths,  such  as  are 
used  by  the  horse-jockeys  that  formerly  sailed  out  of  the  river." 

"  Were  they  hard  swearers  ?" 

"  Is  a  nor'wester  a  hard  wind  ?  Those  fellows,  after  they 
have  been  choked  off  and  jammed  by  the  religion  ashore  for  a 
month  or  two,  would  break  out  like  a  hurricane  when  they 
had  made  an  offing,  and  were  once  fairly  out  of  hearing  of  the 
parsons  and  deacons.  It  is  said  that  old  Joe  Bunk  began  an 
oath  on  the  bar  that  he  did  not  get  to  the  end  of  until  his  brig- 
was  off  Montauk.  I  have  my  doubts,  Leach,  if  any  thing  be 
gained  by  screwing  down  religion  and  morals,  like  a  cotton-bale, 
as  is  practised  in  and  about  the  river." 

"  A  good  many  begin  to  be  of  the  same  way  of  thinking ;  for 
when  our  people  do  break  out,  it  is  like  the  small-pox." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  203 

"  I  am  an  advocate  for  education  ;  iior  do  I  tliink  I  was  taught 
in  my  own  case  more  than  was  reasonable.  I  think  even  a 
prayer  is  of  more  use  to  a  shipmaster  than  Latin,  and  I  often 
have,  even  now,  recourse  to  one,  though  it  may  not  be  exactly 
in  Scripture  language.  I  seldom  want  a  wind  without  praying 
for  it,  mentally,  as  it  might  be ;  and  as  for  the  rheumatis',  I 
am  always  praying  to  be  rid  of  it,  when  I'm  not  cursing  it  star 
board  and  larboard.  Has  it  never  struck  you  that  the  world  is 
less  moral  since  steamboats  were  introduced  than  formerly  ?" 

"  The  boats  date  from  before  my  birth,  sir." 

"  Very  true — you  are  but  a  boy.  Mankind  appear  to  be 
hurried,  and  no  one  likes  to  stop  to  pray,  or  to  foot  up  his  sins, 
as  used  to  be  the  case.  Life  is  like  a  passage  at  sea.  We  feel 
our  way  cautiously  until  off  soundings  on  our  own  coast,  and 
then  we  have  an  easy  time  of  it  in  the  deep  water ;  but  when 
we  get  near  the  shoals  again,  we  take  out  the  lead,  and  mind  a 
little  how  we  steer.  It  is  the  going  off  and  coming  on  the 
coast,  that  gives  us  all  the  trouble." 

"You  had  some  object  in  view,  Captain  Truck,  when  you 
asked  me  if  I  ever  prayed  ?" 

"  Certain.  If  I  were  to  set  to  work  to  pray  myself  just  now, 
it  would  be  for  smooth  water  to-morrow,  that  we  may  have  u 
good  time  in  towing  the  raft  to  the  ship — hist !  Leach,  did  you. 
hear  nothing?" 

"There  was  a  sound  different  from  what  is  common  in  the 
air,  from  the  land  !  It  is  probably  some  savage  beast,  for  Africa 
is  full  of  them." 

"I  think  we  might  manage  a  lion  from  this  fortress.  Unless 
the  fellow  found  the  stage,  he  could  hardly  board  us ;  and  a 
plank  or  two  thrown  from  that,  would  make  a  drawbridge  of  it 
at  once.  Look  yonder !  there  is  something  moving  on  the 
bank,  or  my  eyes  are  two  jewel-blocks." 

Mr.  Leach  looked  in  the  required  direction,  and  he,  too,  fan 
cied  he  saw  something  in  motion  on  the  margin  of  the  bank. 
At  the  point  where  the  wreck  lay,  the  beach  was  far  from  wide, 


204  HOMEWARD      B  O  U  ND  . 

aiid  her  flying  jib-boom,  which  was  still  out,  projected  so  near 
the  low  acclivity,  where  the  coast  rose  to  the  level  of  the  desert, 
as  to  como  within  ten  feet  of  the  bushes  by  which  the  latter 
was  fringed.  Although  the  spar  had  drooped  a  little  in  conse 
quence  of  having  lost  the  support  of  the  stays,  its  end  was  still 
sufficiently  high  to  rise  above  the  leaves,  and  to  permit  one 
seated  on  it  to  overlook  the  plain,  as  well  as  the  starlight  would 
allow.  Believing  the  duty  to  be  important,  Captain  Truck, 
first  giving  his  orders  to  Mr.  Leach,  as  to  the  mode  of  alarming 
the  men,  should  it  become  necessary,  went  cautiously  out  on 
the  bowsprit,  and  thence  by  the  foot-ropes,  to  the  farther  ex 
tremity  of  the  booms.  As  this  was  done  with  the  steadiness  of 
a  seaman,  and  with  the  utmost  care  to  prevent  discovery,  he 
was  soon  stretched  on  the  spar,  balancing  his  body  by  his  legs 
beneath,  and  casting  eager  glances  about,  though  prevented  by 
the  obscurity  from  seeing  either  far  or  very  distinctly. 

After  lying  in  this  position  a  minute,  Captain  Truck  discov 
ered  an  object  on  the  plains,  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  bushes,  that  was  evidently  in  motion.  He  was  now 
all  watchfulness,  for,  had  he  not  seen  the  proofs  that  the  Arabs 
or  Moors  had  already  been  at  the  wreck,  he  knew  that  parties 
of  them  were  constantly  hovering  along  the  coast,  especially 
after  every  heavy  gale  that  blew  from  the  westward,  in  the 
hope  of  booty.  As  all  his  own  people  were  asleep,  the  mates 
excepted,  and  the  boats  could  just  be  discovered  by  himself, 
who  knew  their  position,  he  was  in  hopes  that,  should  any  of 
the  barbarians  be  near,  the  presence  of  his  own  party  could 
hardly  be  known.  It  is  true,  the  alteration  in  the  appearance, 
of  the  wreck,  by  the  removal  of  the  spars,  must  strike  any  one 
who  had  seen  it  before,  but  this  change  might  have  been  made 
by  another  party  of  marauders,  or  those  who  had  now  come,  if 
any  there  were,  might  see  the  vessel  for  the  first  time. 

While  such  thoughts  were  rapidly  glancing  through  his 
mind,  the  reader  will  readily  imagine  that  the  worthy  master 
was  not  altogether  at  his  ease.  Still  he  was  cool,  and,  as  he 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  265 

was  resolved  to  fight  his  way  off,  even  against  an  army,  he 
clung  to  the  spar  with  a  species  of  physical  resolution  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  tiger.  The  object  on  the  plain 
moved  once  more,  and  the  clouds  opening  beyond,  he  plainly 
made  out  the  head  and  neck  of  a  dromedary.  There  was  but 
one,  however ;  nor  could  the  most  scrupulous  examination  show 
him  a  human  being.  After  remaining  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
on  the  boom,  during  all  which  time  the  only  sounds  that  were 
heard  were  the  sighings  of  the  night-air,  and  the  sullen  and 
steady  wash  of  the  surf,  Captain  Truck  came  on  deck  again, 
where  he  found  his  mate  waiting  his  report  with  intense  anx 
iety.  The  former  was  fully  aware  of  the  importance  of  his 
discovery,  but,  being  a  cool  man,  he  had  not  magnified  the 
danger  to  himself. 

"  The  Moors  are  down  on  the  coast,"  he  said,  in  an  under 
tone  ;  "  but  I  do  not  think  there  can  be  more  than  two  or  three 
of  them  at  the  most ;  probably  spies  or  scouts ;  and,  could  we 
seize  them,  we  may  gain  a  few  hours  on  their  comrades,  which 
will  be  all  we  want ;  after  which  they  shall  be  welcome  to  the 
salt  and  the  other  dunnage  of  the  poor  Dane.  Leach,  are  you 
the  man  to  stand  by  me  in  this  affair  ?" 

"  Have  I  ever  foiled  you,  Captain  Truck,  that  you  put  the 
question  ?" 

"  That  you  have  never,  my  fine  fellow ;  give  me  a  squeeze 
of  your  honest  hand,  and  let  there  be  a  pledge  of  life  or  death 
in  it." 

The  mate  met  the  iron  grasp  of  his  commander,  and  each 
knew  that  he  received  an  assurance  on  which  he  might  rely. 

"  Shall  I  awake  the  men,  sir  ?"  asked  Mr.  Leach. 

"Not  one  of  them.  Every  hour  of  sleep  the  people  get  will 
be  a  lower-mast  saved.  These  sticks  that  still  remain  are  our 
foundation,  and  even  one  of  them  is  of  more  account  to  us,  just 
now,  than  a  fleet  of  ships  might  be  at  another  time.  Take  your 
arms  and  follow  me  ;  but  first  we  will  give  a  hint  to  the  second- 
mate  of  what  we  are  about." 

12 


266  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

This  officer  was  asleep  on  the  deck,  for  lie  had  been  so  much 
wearied  with  his  great  exertions  that  afternoon  as  to  catch  a 
little  rest  as  the  sweetest  of  all  gifts.  It  had  been  the  intention 
of  Captain  Truck  to  dismiss  him  to  the  boats ;  but  observing 
him  to  be  overcome  with  drowsiness,  he  had  permitted  him  to 
catch  a  nap  where  he  lay.  The  look-out,  too,  was  also  slumber 
ing  under  the  same  indulgence ;  but  both  were  now  awakened^ 
and  made  acquainted  with  the  state  of  things  on  shore. 

"  Keep  your  eyes  open,  but  keep  a  dead  silence,"  concluded 
Captain  Truck;  "for  it  is  my  wish  to  deceive  these  scouts,  and 
to  keep  them  ignorant  of  our  presence.  When  I  cry  out  'Alarm !' 
you  will  muster  all  hands,  and  clear  away  for  a  brush,  but  not 
before.  God  bless  you,  my  lads !  mind  and  keep  your  eyes  open. 
Leach,  I  am  ready." 

The  captain  and  his  companion  cautiously  descended  to  the 
sands,  and  passing  astern  of  the  ship,  they  first  took  their  way 
to  the  jolly-boat,  which  lay  at  the  rocks  in  readiness  to  carry 
oft'  the  two  officers  to  the  launch.  Here  they  found  the  two 
men  in  charge  so  soundly  asleep,  that  nothing  would  have 
been  easier  than  to  bind  them  without  giving  the  alarm.  After 
a  little  hesitation,  it  was  determined  to  let  them  dream  away 
their  sorrows,  and  to  proceed  to  the  spot  where  the  bank  was 
ascended. 

At  this  place  it  became  necessnry  to  use  the  greatest  precau 
tion,  for  it  was  ji.teraliy  entering  the  enemy's  country.  The 
steepness  of  the  sloit  ascent  requiring  them  to  mount  nearly  on 
their  hands  and  feet,  this  part  of  their  progress  was  made  with 
out  much  hazard,  and  the  two  adventurers  stood  on  the  plain, 
sheltered  by  some  bushes. 

"Yonder  is  the  camel,"  whispered  the  captain:  "you  see 
his  crooked  neck,  with  the  head  tossing  at  moments.  The  fel 
low  is  not  fifty  yards  from  the  body  of  the  poor  German  !  Now 
let  us  follow  along  this  line  of  bushes,  and  keep  a  sharp  look 
out  for  the  rider." 

They  proceeded  in  the  m-inner  mentioned,  until  they  came 


II  O  M  E  \V  A  K  D      B  O  U  X  D.  207 

to  a  poiut  where  the  bushes  ceased,  and  there  was  an  opening 
that  overlooked  the  beach  quite  near  the  wreck. 

"  Do  you  see  the  boats,  Leach,  here  away,  in  a  line  with  the 
starboard  davit  of  the  Dane  ?  They  look  like  dark  spots  on 
the  water,  and  an  ignorant  Arab  might  be  excused  for  taking 
them  for  rocks." 

"  Except  that  they  rise  and  fall  with  the  rollers ;  he  must  be 
doubly  a  Turk  who  could  make  such  a  blunder !" 

"  Your  wanderers  of  the  desert  are  not  so  particular.  The 
wreck  has  certainly  undergone  some  changes  since  yesterday, 
and  I  should  not  wonder  if  even  a  Mussulman  found  them  out, 
but—" 

The  gripe  of  Mr.  Leach,  whose  fingers  almost  entered  the 
flesh  of  his  arm,  and  a  hand  pointed  towards  the  bushes  on  the 
other  side  of  the  opening,  silenced  the  captain's  whisper.  A 
human  form  was  seen  standing  on  the  fringe  of  the  bank,  directly 
opposite  the  jib-boom.  It  was  swaddled  in  a  sort  of  cloak,  and 
the  long  musket  that  was  borne  in  a  hollow  of  an  arm,  was  just 
discernible,  diverging  from  the  line  of  the  figure.  The  Arab, 
for  such  it  could  only  be,  was  evidently  gazing  on  the  wreck, 
and  presently  he  ventured  out  more  boldly,  and  stood  on  the 
spot  that  was  clear  of  bushes.  The  death-like  stillness  on  the 
beach  deceived  him,  and  he  advanced  with  less  caution  towards 
the  spot  where  the  two  officers  were  in  ambush,  still  keeping 
his  own  eye  on  the  ship.  A  few  steps  brought  him  within  reach 
of  Captain  Truck,  who  drew  back  his  arm  until  the  elbow  reached 
his  own  hip,  when  he  darted  it  forward,  and  dealt  the  incautious 
barbarian  a  severe  blow  between  the  eyes.  The  Arab  fell  like 
a  slaughtered  ox,  and  before  his  senses  were  fairly  recovered, 
he  was  bonnd  hands  and  feet,  and  rolled  over  the  bank  down 
upon  the  beach,  with  little  ceremony,  his  firearms  remaining  with 
his  captors. 

"  That  lad  is  in  a  category,"  whispered  the  captain ;  "  it  now 
Tvinnins  to  be  seen  if  there  is  another." 

A  long  search  was  not  rewarded  with  success,  and  it  wras  de- 


268  HOME  W  A  R  D     BOUND. 

tennincd  to  lead  the  camel  down  the  path,  with  a  view  to  pre 
vent  his  being  seen  by  any  wanderer  in  the  morning. 

"  If  we  get  the  lower  masts  out  betimes,"  continued  the 
captain,  "  these  land  pirates  will  have  no  beacons  in  sight  to 
steer  by,  and,  in  a  country  in  which  one  grain  of  sand  is  so 
much  like  another,  they  might  hunt  a  week  before  they  made 
a  happy  land-fall." 

The  approach  of  the  two  towards  the  camel  was  made  with 
less  caution  than  usual,  the  success  of  their  enterprise  throwing 
them  off  their  guard,  and  exciting  their  spirits.  They  believed, 
in  short,  that  their  captive  was  either  a  solitary  wanderer,  or 
that  he  had  been  sent  ahead  as  a  scout,  by  some  party  that  would 
be  likely  to  follow  in  the  morning. 

"  We  must  be  up  and  at  work  before  the  sun,  Mr.  Leach," 
said  the  captain,  speaking  clearly,  but  in  a  low  tone,  as  they 
approached  the  camel.  The  head  of  the  animal  was  tossed  ; 
then  it  seemed  to  snuff  the  air,  and  it  gave  a  shriek.  In  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  an  Arab  sprang  from  the  sand,  on  which 
he  had  been  sleeping,  and  was  on  the  creature's  back.  He 
was  seen  to  look  around  him,  and  before  the  startled  mariners 
had  time  to  decide  on  their  course,  the  beast,  which  was  a 
dromedary  trained  to  speed,  was  out  of  sight  in  the  darkness. 
Captain  Truck  had  thrown  forward  his  fowling-piece,  but  he  did 
not  fire. 

"  We  have  no  right  to  shoot  the  fellow,"  he  said,  "  and  our 
hope  is  now  in  the  distance  he  will  have  to  ride  to  join  his 
comrades.  If  we  have  got  a  chief,  as  I  suspect,  we  will  make 
a  hostage  of  him,  and  turn  him  to  as  much  account  as  he  can 
possibly  turn  one  of  his  own  camels.  Depend  on  it  we  shall 
see  no  more  of  them  for  several  hours,  and  we  will  seize  the 
opportunity  to  get  a  little  sleep.  A  man  must  have  his  watch 
below,  or  he  gets  to  be  as  dull  and  as  obstinate  as  a  top-maul." 

The  captain  having  made  up  his  mind  to  this  plan,  was  not 
slow  in  putting  it  in  execution.  Returning  to  the  beach  they 
liberated  the  legs  of  their  prisoner,  whom  they  found  lying  like 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     BO  U  N  D .  269 

a  log  on  the  sands,  and  made  him  mount  the  staging  to  the  deck 
of  the  ship.  Leading  the  way  into  the  cabin,  Mr.  Truck  ex 
amined  the  fellow  by  a  light,  turning  him  round  and  comment 
ing  on  his  points  very  much  as  he  might  have  done  had  the 
captive  been  any  other  animal  of  the  desert. 

The  Arab  was  a  swarthy,  sinewy  man  of  forty,  with  all  his 
fibres  indurated  and  worked  down  to  the  whip-cord  meagerness 
and  rigidity  of  a  racer,  his  frame  presenting  a  perfect  picture  of 
the  sort  of  being  one  would  fancy  suited  to  the  exhausting  mo 
tion  of  a  dromedary,  and  to  the  fare  of  a  desert.  He  carried 
a  formidable  knife,  in  addition  to  the  long  musket  of  which  he 
had  been  deprived,  and  his  principal  garment  was  the  coarse 
mantle  of  earners  hair,  that  served  equally  for  cap,  coat,  and 
robe.  His  wild  dark  eyes  gleamed,  as  Captain  Truck  passed 
the  lamp  before  his  face,  and  it  was  sufficiently  apparent  that 
he  fancied  a  very  serious  misfortune  had  befallen  him.  As  any 
verbal  communication  was  out  of  the  question,  some  abortive 
attempts  were  essayed  by  the  two  mariners  to  make  themselves 
understood  by  signs,  which,  like  some  men's  reasoning,  pro 
duced  results  exactly  contrary  to  what  had  been  expected. 

"  Perhaps  the  poor  fellow  fancies  we  mean  to  eat  him, 
Leach,"  observed  the  captain,  after  trying  his  skill  in  pantomime 
for  some  time  without  success;  "and  he  has  some  grounds  for 
the  idea,  as  he  was  felled  like  an  ox  that  is  bound  to  the  kitchen. 
Try  and  let  the  miserable  wretch  understand,  at  least,  that  we 
are  not  cannibals." 

Hereupon  the  mate  commenced  an  expressive  pantomime, 
which  described,  with  sufficient  clearness,  the  process  of  skin 
ning,  cutting  up,  cooking,  and  eating  the  carcass  of  the  Arab, 
with  the  humane  intention  of  throwing  a  negative  over  the 
whole  proceeding,  by  a  strong  sign  of  dissent  at  the  close ;  but 
there  are  no  proper  substitutes  for  the  little  monosyllables  of 
"  yes"  and  "  no,"  and  the  meaning  of  the  interpreter  got  to  be 
so  confounded  that  the  captain  himself  was  mystified. 

"  D — n  it,  Leach,"  he  interrupted,  "  the  man  fancies  that  he 


270  II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  X  D  . 

is  not  good  eating,  you  make  so  many  wry  and  out-of-the-way 
contortions.  A  sign  is  a  jury-mast  for  the  tongue,  and  every 
seaman  ought  to  know  how  to  practise  them,  in  case  he  should 
be  wrecked  on  a  savage  and  unknown  coast.  Old  Joe  Bunk 
had  a  dictionary  of  them,  and  iu  calm  weather  he  used  to  go 
among  his  horses  and  horned  cattle,  and  talk  with  them  by  the 
hour.  He  made  a  diagram  of  the  language,  and  had  it  taught 
to  all  us  younkers  who  were  exposed  to  the  accidents  of  the 
sea.  Now  I  will  try  my  hand  on  this  Arab,  for  I  could  never 
go  to  sleep  while  the  honest  black  imagined  we  intended  to 
breakfast  on  him." 

The  captain  now  recommenced  his  own  explanations  in  the 
language  of  nature.  He  too  described  the  process  of  cooking 
and  eating  the  prisoner — for  this  he  admitted  was  indispensable 
by  way  of  preface — and  then,  to  show  his  horror  of  such  an 
act,  he  gave  a  very  good  representation  of  a  process  he  had 
often  witnessed  among  his  sea-sick  passengers,  by  way  of  show 
ing  his  loathing  of  cannibalism  in  general,  and  of  eating  this 
Arab  in  particular.  By  this  time  the  man  was  thoroughly 
alarmed,  and  by  way  of  commentary  on  the  captain's  eloquence, 
he  began  to  utter  wailings  in  his  own  language,  and  groans 
that  were  not  to  be  mistaken.  To  own  the  truth,  Mr.  Truck 
was  a  good  deal  mortified  with  this  failure,  which,  like  all  other 
unsuccessful  persons,  he  was  ready  to  ascribe  to  anybody  but 
himself. 

"  I  begin  to  think,  Mr.  Leach,"  he  said,  "  that  this  fellow  is 
too  stupid  for  a  spy  or  a  scout,  and  that,  after  all,  he  is  no  more 
than  a  driveller  who  has  strayed  from  his  tribe,  from  a  want 
of  sense  to  keep  the  road  in  a  desert.  A  man  of  the  smallest 
information  must  have  understood  me,  and  yet  you  perceive 
by  his  lamentations  and  outcries  that  he  knows  no  more  what 
I  said  than  if  he  were  in  another  parallel  of  latitude.  The  chap 
has  quite  mistaken  my  character ;  for  if  I  really  did  intend  to 
make  a  beast  of  myself,  and  devour  my  species,  no  one  of  the 
smallest  knowledge  o^  human  nature  would  think  I'd  begin  on 


H  O  M  E  W  A  II  I)      BOUND.  2  7  1 

a  nigger !  What  is  your  opinion  of  the  man's  mistake,  Mr. 
Leach  r 

"  It  is  very  plain,  sir,  that  he  supposes  you  mean  to  broil 
him,  and  then  to  eat  so  much  of  his  steaks,  that  you  will  be 
compelled  to  heave  up  like  a  marine  two  hours  out;  and,  if  I 
must  say  the  truth,  I  think  most  people  would  have  inferred 
the  same  thing  from  your  signs,  which  are  as  plainly  cannibal 
as  any  thing  of  the  sort  I  ever  witnessed." 

"And  what  the  devil  did  he  make  of  yours,  Master  Cookery- 
Book?"  cried  the  captain  with  some  heat.  "Did  he  fancy  you 
meant  to  mortify  the  flesh  with  a  fortnight's  fast  ?  No,  no,  sir ; 
you  are  a  very  respectable  first  officer,  but  are  no  more  ac 
quainted  with  Joe  Bunk's  principles  of  signs,  than  this  editor 
here  kno.ws  of  truth  and  propriety.  It  is  your  blundering 
manner  of  soliloquizing  that  has  set  the  lad  on  a  wrong 
traverse.  He  has  just  grafted  your  own  idea  on  my  commu 
nication,  and  has  got  himself  into  a  category  that  a  book  itself 
would  not  reason  him  out  of,  until  his  fright  is  passed.  Logic 
is  thrown  away  on  all  'skeary  animals,'  said  old  Joe  Bunk. 
Harkee,  Leach,  I've  a  mind  to  set  the  rascal  adrift,  condemning 
the  gun  and  the  knife  for  the  benefit  of  the  captors.  I  think  I 
should  sleep  better  for  the  certainty  that  he  was  trudging  along 
the  sand,  satisfied  he  was  not  to  be  b:nbacuecl  in  the  morning." 

"  There  is  no  use  in  detaining  him,  sir,  for  his  messmate,  who 
went  off  on  the  dromedary,  will  sail  a  hundred  feet  to  his  one ; 
nnd  if  an  alarm  is  really  to  be  given  to  their  party,  it  will  not 
come  from  this  chap.  He  will  be  unarmed,  and  by  taking 
i  way  his  pouch,  we  shall  get  some  ammunition  for  this  gun  of 
his,  which  will  throw  a  shot  as  far  as  Queen  Anne's  pocket- 
piece.  For  my  part,  sir,  I  think  there  is  no  great  use  in  keep 
ing  him,  for  I  do  not  think  he  would  understand  us  if  he  stayed 
a  month,  and  went  to  school  the  whole  time." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  and  as  long  as  he  is  among  us,  we 
shall  be  liable  to  unpleasant  misconceptions ;  so  cut  his  lash 
ings  and  sot  him  adrift,  and  be  d — d  to  him." 


2*72  HOME  WARD      BOUND. 

The  mate,  who  by  this  time  was  drowsy,  did  as  desired,  and 
in  a  moment  the  Arab  was  at  liberty.  At  first  the  poor  crea 
ture  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  his  freedom  ;  but  a  smart- 
application,  a  posteriori,  from  the  foot  of  Captain  Truck,  whose 
humanity  was  of  the  rough  quality  of  the  seas,  soon  set  him 
in  motion  up  the  cabin-ladder.  When  the  two  mariners  reached 
the  deck,  their  prisoner  was  already  leaping  down  the  staging, 
and  in  another  minute  his  active  form  was  obscurely  seen  clam 
bering  up  the  bank,  on  gaining  which  he  plunged  into  the 
desert,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

None  but  men  indurated  in  their  feelings  by  long  exposure 
would  be  likely  to  sleep  under  the  circumstances  in  which  these 
two  seamen  were  placed  ;  but  they  were  both  too  cool,  and  too 
much  accustomed  to  arouse  themselves  on  sudden  alarms,  to 
lose  the  precious  moments  in  womanish  apprehensions,  when 
they  knew  that  all  their  physical  energies  would  be  needed  on 
the  morrow,  whether  the  Arabs  arrived  or  not.  They  accord 
ingly  regulated  the  look-outs,  gave  strong  admonitions  of  cau 
tion  to  be  passed  from  one  to  another,  and  then  the  captain 
stretched  himself  in  the  berth  of  the  poor  Dane,  who  was  now 
a  captive  in  the  desert,  while  Mr.  Leach  got  into  the  jolly-boat, 
and  was  pulled  off  to  the  launch.  Both  were  sound  asleep  in 
less  than  five  minutes  after  their  heads  touched  their  temporary 
pillows. 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  2  7  3 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

"  Ay,  he  does  well  enough,  if  he  he  disposed, 
And  so  do  I  too ;  he  does  it  with  a  better  grace,  but 
1  do  it  more  natural.'' 

TWELFTH  NIGHT. 

THE  sleep  of  the  weary  is  sweet.  Of  all  the  party  that  lay 
thus  buried  in  sleep,  on  the  verge  of  the  Great  Desert,  exposed 
at  any  moment  to  an  assault  from  its  ruthless  and  predatory 
occupants,  but  one  bethought  him  of  the  danger;  though  he 
was,  in  truth,  so  little  exposed  as  to  have  rendered  it  of  less 
moment  to  himself  than  to  most  of  the  others,  had  he  not 
been  the  possessor  of  a  fancy  that  served  oftener  to  lead  him 
astray  than  for  any  purposes  that  were  useful  or  pleasing.  This 
person  was  in  one  of  the  boats,  and  as  they  lay  at  a  reasonable 
distance  from  the  land,  and  the  barbarians  would  not  probably 
have  known  how  to  use  any  craft  had  they  even  possessed  one, 
he  was  consequently  safe  from  every  thing  but  a  discharge  from 
their  long  muskets.  But  this  remote  risk  sufficed  to  keep  him 
awake,  it  being  very  different  things  to  foster  malice,  circulate 
gossip,  write  scurrilous  paragraphs,  and  cant  about  the  people, 
and  to  face  a  volley  of  firearms.  For  the  one  employment, 
nature,  tradition,  education,  and  habit,  had  expressly  fitted  Mr. 
}>odge;  while  for  the  other,  he  had  not  the  smallest  vocation. 
Although  Mr.  Leach,  in  setting  his  look-outs  on  board  the 
boats,  had  entirely  overlooked  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer, 
never  before  had  that  vigilant  person's  inquiries  been  more 
active  than  they  were  throughout  the  whole  of  that  long  night ; 
and  twenty  times  would  he  have  aroused  the  party  on  false 

JO* 


274  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

alarms,  but  for  the  cool  indifference  of  the  phlegmatic  seamen. 
to  whom  the  duty  more  properly  belonged.  These  brave  fel 
lows  knew  too  well  the  precious  qualities  of  sleep  to  allow  that 
of  their  shipmates  to  be  causelessly  disturbed  by  the  nervous 
apprehensions  of  one  who  carried  with  him  an  everlasting 
stimulant  to  fear  in  the  consciousness  of  demerit.  The  night 
passed  away  undisturbed,  therefore,  nor  was  the  order  of  the 
regular  watch  broken  until  the  look-outs  in  the  wreck,  agreeably 
to  their  orders,  awoke  Captain  Truck  and  his  mates. 

It  was  now  precisely  at  the  moment  when  the  first,  and  as  it 
might  be  the  fugitive,  rays  of  the  sun  glide  into  the  atmosphere, 
and,  to  use  a  quaint  expression,  "  dilute  its  darkness."  One  no 
longer  saw  by  starlight,  or  by  moonlight,  though  a  little  of  both 
were  still  left ;  but  objects,  though  indistinct  and  dusky,  had 
their  true  outlines,  while  every  moment  rendered  their  surfaces 
more  obvious. 

When  Captain  Truck  appeared  on  deck,  his  first  glance  was 
at  the  ocean ;  for,  were  its  tranquillity  seriously  disturbed,  it 
would  be  a  death-blow  to  all  his  hopes.  Fortunately,  in  this 
particular,  there  was  no  change. 

"The  winds  seem  to  have  put  themselves  out  of  breath  in 
the  last  gale,  Mr.  Leach,"  he  said,  "  and  we  are  likely  to  get  the 
spars  round  as  quietly  as  if  they  were  so  many  saw-logs  floating 
in  a  mill-pond.  Even  the  ground-swell  has  lessened,  and  the 
breakers  on  the  bar  look  like  the  ripple  of  a  wash-tub.  Turn 
the  people  up,  sir,  and  Jet  us  have  a  drag  at  these  sticks  before 
breakfast,  or  we  may  have  to  broil  an  Arab  yet." 

Mr.  Leach  hailed  the  boats,  and  ordered  them  to  send  their 
gang  of  laborers  on  shore.  He  then  gave  the  accustomed  raps 
on  the  deck,  and  called  "all  hands"  in  the  ship.  In  a  minute 
the  men  began  to  appear,  yawning  and  stretching  their  arms — 
for  no  one  had  thrown  aside  his  clothes — most  of  them  launch 
ing  their  sea-jokes  right  and  left,  with  as  much  indifference  as 
if  they  lay  quietly  in  the  port  to  which  they  were  bound.  After 
some  eight  or  ten  minutes  to  shake  themselves,  and  to  get 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  27f> 

"aired,"  as  Mr.  Leach  expressed  jt,  the  whole  party  was  again 
mustered  on  the  deck  of  the  Dane,  with  the  exception  of  a 
hand  or  two  in  the  launch,  and  Mr.  Dodge.  The  latter  had  as 
sumed  the  office  of  sentinel  over  the  jolly-boat,  which,  as  usual, 
lay  at  the  rocks,  to  carry  such  articles  off  as  might  be  wanted. 

"  Send  a  hand  up  into  the  foretop,  Mr.  Leach,"  said  the  cap 
tain,  gaping  like  a  greyhound ;  "  a  fellow  with  sharp  eyes : 
none  of  your  chaps  who  read  with  their  noses  down  in  the 
cloudy  weather  of  an  almanac ;  and  let  him  take  a  look  at  the 
desert,  in  search  of  Arabs." 

Although  the  lower  rigging  was  down  and  safe  in  the  launch, 
a  girt-line,  or  as  Captain  Truck  in  the  true  Doric  of  his  profes 
sion  pronounced  it,  a  "  gunt-\ine"  was  rove  at  each  mast,  and 
a  man  was  accordingly  hauled  up  forward  as  soon  as  possible. 
As  it  was  still  too  dusky  to  distinguish  far  with  accuracy,  the 
captain  hailed  him,  and  bade  him  stay  where  he  was  until 
ordered  down,  and  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out. 

"We  had  a  visit  from  one  chap  in  the  night,"  he  added, 
"  and  as  he  was  a  hungry -looking  rascal,  he  is  a  greater  fool 
than  I  think  him,  or  he  will  be  back  before  long,  after  some  of 
the  beef  and  stock-fish  of  the  wreck.  Keep  a  bright  look-out." 

The  men,  though  accustomed  to  their  commander's  manner, 
looked  at  each  other  more  seriously,  glanced  around  at  their 
arms,  and  then  the  information  produced  precisely  the  effect 
that  had  been  intended,  that  of  inducing  them  to  apply  to  their 
work  with  threefold  vigor. 

"Let  the  boys  chew  upon  that,  instead  of  their  tobacco,*' 
observed  the  captain  to  Mr.  Leach,  as  he  hunted  for  a  good 
coal  in  the  galley  to  light  his  cigar  with.  "I'll  warrant  you 
the  sheers  go  up  none  the  slower  for  the  information,  desperate 
philosophers  as  some  of  these  gentry  are." 

This  prognostic  was  true  enough,  for  instead  of  gaping  and 
stretching  themselves  about  the  deck,  as  had  been  the  case 
with  most  of  them  a  minute  before,  the  men  now  commenced 
th^ir  dntv  in  jvood  oarnest,  callino-  to  oneh  other  to  come  to 


276  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  falls  and  the  capstan-bars,  and  to  stand  by  the  heels  of  the 
sheers. 

"  Heave  away !"  cried  the  mate,  smiling  to  see  how  quick 
the  captain's  hint  had  been  taken  ;  "heave  round  with  a  will, 
men,  and  let  us  set  these  legs  on  end,  that  they  may  walk.1" 

As  the  order  was  obeyed  to  the  letter,  the  day  had  not  fairly 
opened  when  the  sheers  were  in  their  places  and  secured. 
Every  man  was  all  activity,  and  as  their  work  was  directed  b\~ 
those  whose  knowledge  was  never  at  fault,  a  landsman  would 
have  been  surprised  at  the  readiness  with  which  the  crew  next 
raised  a  spar  as  heavy  as  the  mainmast,  and  had  it  suspended, 
top  and  all,  in  the  air,  high  enough  to  be  borne  over  the  side. 
The  lowering  was  a  trifling  affair,  and  the  massive  stick  was 
soon  lying  at  its  length  on  the  sands.  Captain  Truck  well 
knew  the  great  importance  of  this  particular  spar,  for  he  might 
make  out  with  the  part  of  the  foremast  that  remained  in  the 
packet,  whereas,  without  this  mast  he  could  not  possibly  rig 
any  thing  of  much  available  use  aft.  He  called  out  to  the  men, 
therefore,  as  he  sprang  upon  the  staging,  to  follow  him  and  to 
launch  the  spar  into  the  water  before  they  breakfasted. 

"  Let  us  make  sure  of  this  fellow,  men,"  he  added,  "  for  it  is 
our  mainstay.  With  this  stick  fairly  in  our  raft,  we  may  yet 
make  a  passage ;  no  one  must  think  of  his  teeth  till  it  is  out  of 
all  risk.  This  stick  we  must  have,  if  we  make  war  on  the 
Emperor  of  Morocco  for  its  possession." 

The  people  knew  the  necessity  for  exertion,  and  they  worked 
accordingly.  The  top  was  knocked  off,  and  carried  down  to 
the  water ;  the  spar  was  then  cut  round,  and  rolled  after  it,  not 
without  trouble,  however,  as  the  trestle-trees  were  left  on ;  but 
the  descent  of  the  sands  favored  the  labor.  When  on  the 
margin  of  the  sea,  by  the  aid  of  handspikes,  the  head  was  got 
afloat,  or  so  nearly  so,  as  to  require  but  little  force  to  move  it, 
when  a  line  from  the  boats  was  fastened  to  the  outer  end,  and 
the  top  was  secured  alongside. 

"Now,   clap    your  handspikes  under  it,  boys,   and   heave 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  277 

away  !"  cried  the  captain.  "  Heave  together  and  keep  the  stick 
straight — heave,  and  his  head  is  afloat! — Haul,  haul  away  in 
the  boat ! — heave  all  at  once,  and  as  if  you  were  giants ! — you 
gained  three  feet  that  tug,  my  hearties :  try  him  again,  gentle 
men,  as  you  are — and  move  together,  like  girls  in  a  cotillion — 
Away  with  it! — What  the  devil  are  you  staring  at,  in  the  fore- 
top  there?  Have  you  nothing  better  to  do  than  to  amuse 
yourself  in  seeing  us  heave  our  insides  out  ?" 

The  intense  interest  attached  to  the  securing  of  this  spar  had 
extended  to  the  look-out  in  the  top,  and  instead  of  keeping  his 
eye  on  the  desert,  as  ordered,  he  was  looking  down  at  the  party 
on  the  beach,  and  betraying  his  sympathy  in  their  efforts  by 
bending  his  body,  and  appearing  to  heave  in  common  with  his 
messmates.  Admonished  of  his  neglect  by  this  sharp  rebuke, 
he  turned  round  quickly  towards  the  desert,  and  gave  the  fear 
ful  alarm  of  "The  Arabs!" 

Every  man  ceased  his  work,  and  the  whole  were  on  the  point 
of  rushing  in  a  body  towards  their  arms,  when  the  greater 
steadiness  of  Captain  Truck  prevented  it. 

"  Whereaway  ?"  he  demanded  sternly. 

u  On  the  most  distant  hillock  of  sand,  may  be  a  mile  and  a 
half  inland." 

"  How  do  they  head  ?" 

"Dead  down  upon  us,  sir." 

"  How  do  they  travel  ?" 

u  They  have  camels,  and  horses :  all  are  mounted,  sir.1' 

"  What  is  their  number  ?" 

The  man  paused,  as  if  to  count,  and  then  he  called  out — 

"They  are  strong-handed,  sir;  quite  a  hundred,  I  think. 
They  have  brought  up,  sir,  and  seem  to  be  sounding  about  them 
for  an  anchorage." 

Captain  Truck  hesitated,  and  he  looked  wistfully  at  the  ma«t 

"Boys!"  said  he,  shaking  his  hand  over  the  bit  of  massive 
wood,  with  energy,  "this  spar  is  of  more  importance  to  us  than 
our  mother's  milk  in  infancy.  It  is  our  victuals  and  drink,  lit'o 


278  HOME  W  A  II  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

and  hopes.  Let  us  swear  we  will  have  it  in  spite  of  a  thousand 
Arabs.  Stoop  to  your  handspikes,  and  heave  at  the  word — 
heave  as  if  you  had  a  world  to  move, — heave,  men,  heave  1" 

The  people  obeyed,  and  the  mast  advanced  more  than  half 
the  necessary  distance  into  the  water.  But  the  man  now 
called  out  that  the  Arabs  were  advancing  swiftly  towards  the 
ship. 

"  One  more  effort,  men,"  said  Captain  Truck,  reddening  in 
the  face  with  anxiety,  and  throwing  down  his  hat  to  set  the 
example  in  person, — "  heave  !" 

The  men  hove,  and  the  spar  floated. 

"  Now  to  your  arms,  boys,  and  you,  sir,  in  the  top,  keep  your 
self  hid  behind  the  head  of  the  mast.  "VVe  must  be  ready  to 
show  these  gentry  we  are  not  afraid  of  them."  A  sign  of  the 
hand  told  the  men  in  the  launch  to  haul  away,  and  the  all-im 
portant  spar  floated  slowly  across  the  bar,  to  join  the  raft. 

The  men  now  hurried  up  to  the  ship,  a  post  that  Captain 
Truck  declared  he  could  maintain  against  a  whole  tribe,  while 
Mr.  Dodge  began  incontinently  to  scull  the  jolly-boat,  in  the 
best  manner  he  could,  off  to  the  launch.  All  remonstrance 
wras  useless,  as  he  had  got  as  far  as  the  bar  before  he  was  per 
ceived.  Both  Sir  George  Templemore  and  Mr.  Monday  loudly 
denounced  him  for  deserting  the  party  on  the  shore  in  this 
scandalous  manner,  but  quite  without  effect.  Mr.  Dodge's  skill, 
unfortunately  for  his  success,  did  not  quite  equal  his  zeal ;  and 
finding,  when  he  got  on  the  bar,  that  he  was  unable  to  keep 
the  boat's  head  to  the  sea,  or  indeed  to  manage  it  at  all,  he  fairly 
jumped  into  the  water  and  swam  lustily  towards  the  launch. 
As  he  was  expert  at  this  exercise,  he  arrived  safely,  cursing  in 
his  heait  all  travelling,  the  desert,  the  Arabs,  and  mankind  in 
general,  wishing  himself  quietly  back  in  Dodgeopolis  again, 
among  his  beloved  people.  The  boat  drove  upon  the  sands,  of 
course,  and  was  eventually  taken  care  of  by  two  of  the  Mon- 
tauk's  crew. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Truck  found  himself  on  the  deck  of  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  279 

Dane,  the  arms  were  distributed  among  the  people.  It  was 
clearly  his  policy  not  to  commence  the  war,  for  he  had  nothing-, 
in  an  affirmative  sense,  to  gain  by  it,  though,  without  making 
any  professions,  his  mind  was  fully  made  up  not  to  be  taken  alive, 
as  long  as  there  was  a  possibility  of  averting  such  a  disaster. 
The  man  aloft  gave  constant  notice  of  the  movements  of  the 
Arabs,  and  he  soon  announced  that  they  had  halted  at  a  pis 
tol's  shot  from  the  bank,  where  they  were  securing  their  camels, 
and  that  his  first  estimate  of  their  force  was  true. 

In  the  mean  time,  Captain  Truck  was  far  from  satisfied  with 
his  position.  The  bank  was  higher  than  the  deck  of  the  ship, 
and  so  near  it  as  to  render  the  bulwarks  of  little  use,  had  those 
of  the  Dane  been  of  any  available  thickness,  which  they  were 
not.  Then,  the  position  of  the  ship,  lying  a  little  on  one  side, 
with  her  bows  towards  the  land,  exposed  her  to  being  swept  by 
a  raking  fire;  a  cunning  enemy  having  it  in  his  power,  by 
making  a  cover  of  the  bank,  to  pick  off  his  men,  with  little  or 
no  exposure  to  himself.  The  odds  were  too  great  to  sally  upon 
the  plain,  and  although  the  rocks  offered  a  tolerable  cover  to 
wards  the  land,  they  had  none  towards  the  ship.  Divide  his 
force  he  dared  not  do, — and  by  abandoning  the  ship,  he  would 
allow  the  Arabs  to  seize  her,  thus  commanding  the  other  posi 
tion,  besides  the  remainder  of  the  stores,  which  he  was  desirous 
of  securing. 

Men  think  fast  in  trying  circumstances;  and  although  the 
captain  was  in  a  situation  so  perfectly  novel,  his  practical  knowl 
edge  and  great  coolness  rendered  him  ;m  invaluable  commander 
to  those  under  his  orders. 

"  I  do  not  know,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  addressing  his  passen 
gers  and  mates,  "  that  Vattel  has  laid  down  any  rule  to  govern 
this  case.  These  Arabs,  no  doubt,  are  the  lawful  owners  of  the 
country,  in  one  sense ;  but  it  is  a  desert — and  a  desert,  like  a 
sea,  is  common  property  for  the  time  being,  to  all  who  find 
themselves  in  it.  There  are  no  wreckmasters  in  Africa,  and 
probably  no  law  concerning  wrecks,  but  the  law  of  the  strongest. 


280  HOME  W  A  R  D      BOUND. 

We  have  been  driven  in  here,  moreover,  by  stress  of  weather — 
and  this  is  a  category  on  which  Vattel  has  been  very  explicit. 
We  have  a  right  to  the  hospitality  of  these  Arabs,  and  if  it  be 
not  freely  accorded,  d — n  me,  gentlemen,  but  I  feel  disposed  to 
take  just  as  much  of  it  as  I  find  I  shall  have  occasion  for ! 
Mr.  Monday,  I  should  like  to  hear  your  sentiments  on  this 
subject." 

"Why, sir,"  returned  Mr.  Monday,  "I  have  the  greatest  con 
fidence  in  your  knowledge,  Captain  Truck,  and  am  equally 
ready  for  peace  or  war,  although  my  calling  is  for  the  first.  I 
should  try  negotiation  to  begin  with,  sir,  if  it  be  practicable, 
and  you  will  allow  me  to  express  an  opinion ;  after  which  I 
would  offer  war." 

"  I  am  quite  of  the  same  mind,  sir ;  but  in  what  way  are  we 
to  negotiate  with  a  people  we  cannot  make  understand  a  word 
we  say?  It  is  true,  if  they  were  versed  in  the  science  of  signs, 
one  might  do  something  with  them  ;  but  I  have  reason  to  know 
that  they  are  as  stupid  as  boobies  on  all  such  subjects.  We 
shall  get  ourselves  into  a  category  at  the  first  protocol,  as  the 
writers  say." 

Now,  Mr.  Monday  thought  there  was  a  language  that  any  man 
might  understand,  and  he  was  strongly  disposed  to  profit  by  it. 
In  rummaging  the  wreck,  he  had  discovered  a  case  of  liquor, 
besides  a  cask  of  Hollands,  and  he  thought  an  offering  of  these 
might  have  the  effect  to  put  the  Arabs  in  good-humor  at  least. 

"  I  have  known  men,  who,  treated  with  dry,  in  matters  of 
trade,  were  as  obstinate  as  mules,  become  reasonable  and  pliable, 
sir,  over  a  bottle,"  lie  said,  after  explaining  where  the  liquor 
was  to  be  found  ;  "  and  I  think,  if  we  offer  the  Arabs  this,  after 
they  have  been  in  possession  a  short  time,  we  shall  find  them 
better  disposed  towards  us.  If  it  should  not  prove  so,  I  con 
fess,  for  one,  I  should  feel  less  reluctance  in  shooting  them  than 
before." 

"  I  have  somewhere  heard  that  the  Mussulmans  never  drink," 
observed  Sir  George;  "in  which  case  we  shall  find  our  offering 

\ 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  .  281 

despised.  Then  there  is  the  difficulty  of  a  first  possession;  for, 
if  these  people  are  the  same  as  those  that  were  here  before, 
they  may  not  thank  us  for  giving  them  so  small  a  part  of  that, 
of  which  they  may  lay  claim  to  all.  I'm  very  sure,  were  any 
one  to  offer  me  my  patent  pistols,  as  a  motive  for  letting  him 
carry  away  my  patent  razors,  or  the  East  India  dressing-case, 
or  any  thing  else  I  own,  I  should  not  feel  particularly  obliged 
to  him." 

"  Capitally  put,  Sir  George,  and  I  should  be  quite  of  your 
way  of  thinking,  if  I  did  not  believe  these  Arabs  might  really 
be  mollified  by  a  little  drink.  If  I  had  a  proper  ambassador  to 
send  with  the  offering,  I  would  resort  to  the  plan  at  once." 

Mr.  Monday,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  spiritedly  offered 
to  be  one  of  two,  to  go  to  the  Arabs  with  the  proposal,  for  he 
had  sufficient  penetration  to  perceive  that  there  was  little 
danger  of  his  being  seized,  while  an  armed  party  of  so  much 
strength  remained  to  be  overcome — and  he  had  sufficient  nerve 
to  encounter  the  risk.  All  he  asked  was  a  companion,  and 
Captain  Truck  was  so  much  struck  with  the  spirit  of  the  vol 
unteer,  that  he  made  up  his  mind  to  accompany  him  himself. 
To  this  plan,  however,  both  the  mates  and  all  the  crew  stoutly 
but  respectfully  objected.  They  felt  his  importance  too  much 
to  consent  to  this  exposure,  and  neither  of  the  mates,  even, 
would  be  allowed  to  go  on  an  expedition  of  so  much  hazard, 
without  a  sufficient  motive.  They  might  fight,  if  they  pleased, 
but  they  should  not  run  into  the  mouth  of  the  lion  unarmed 
and  unresisting. 

"  It  is  of  no  moment,"  said  Mr.  Monday  :  "  I  could  have 
liked  a  gentleman  for  my  companion  ;  but  no  one  of  the  brave 
fellows  will  have  any  objection  to  passing  an  hour  in  company 
with  an  Arab  sheik  over  a  bottle.  What  say  you,  my  lads, 
will  any  one  of  you  volunteer  ?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !"  cried  a  dozen  in  a  breath. 

"This  will  never  do,"  interrupted  the  captain  :  "I  have  need 
of  the  men,  for  mv  heart  is  still  set  on  these  two  sticks  that  re- 


282  II  O  M  E  W  A  It  D     BOUND. 

main,  and  we  have  a  head-sea  and  a  stiff  breeze  to  struggle 
with  in  getting  back  to  the  ship.  By  George,  I  have  it !  What 
do  you  say  to  Mr.  Dodge  for  a  companion,  Mr.  Monday  ?  He 
is  used  to  committees,  and  likes  the  service ;  and  then  he  has 
need  of  some  stimulant,  after  the  ducking  he  has  received.  Mr. 
Leach,  take  a  couple  of  hands,  and  go  off  in  the  jolly-boat  and 
bring  Mr.  Dodge  on  shore.  My  compliments  to  him,  and  tell 
him  he  has  been  unanimously  chosen  to  a  most  honorable  and 
lucrative — ay,  and  a  popular  employment." 

As  this  was  an  order,  the  mate  did  not  scruple  about  obey 
ing  it.  He  was  soon  afloat,  and  on  his  way  towards  the  launch. 
Captain  Truck  now  hailed  the  top,  and  inquired  what  the 
Arabs  wTere  about.  The  answer  was  satisfactory,  as  they  were 
still  busy  with  their  camels  and  in  pitching  their  tents.  This 
did  not  look  much  like  an  immediate  war,  and  bidding  the 
man  aloft  to  give  timely  notice  of  their  approach,  Mr.  Truck 
fancied  he  might  still  have  time  to  shift  his  sheers,  and  to  whip 
out  the  mizzen-mast,  and  he  accordingly  set  about  it  without 
further  delay. 

As  every  one  worked,  as  it  might  be  for  life,  in  fifteen  min 
utes  this  light  spar  was  suspended  in  the  falls.  In  ten  more  its 
heel  was  clear  of  the  bulwarks,  and  it  was  lowered  on  the 
sands  almost  by  the  run.  To  knock  off  the  top  and  roll  it 
down  to  the  water  took  but  a  few  minutes  longer,  and  then  the 
people  were  called  to  their  breakfast;  the  sentinel  aloft  report 
ing  that  the  Arabs  were  employed  in  the  same  manner,  and  in 
milking  their  camels.  This  was  a  fortunate  relief,  and  every 
body  ate  in  peace,  and  in  the  full  assurance  that  those  whom 
they  so  much  distrusted  were  equally  engaged  in  the  same 
pacific  manner. 

Neither  the  Arabs  nor  the  seamen,  however,  lost  any  unneces 
sary  time  at  the  meal.  The  former  were  soon  reported  to  be 
coming  and  going  in  parties  of  fifteen  or  twenty,  arriving  and 
departing  in  an  eastern  direction.  Occasionally  a  single  runner 
went  or  came  alone,  on  a  fleet  dromedary,  as  if  communications 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  283 

were  held  with  other  bodies  which  lay  deeper  in  the  desert. 
All  this  intelligence  rendered  Captain  Truck  very  uneasy,  and 
lie  thought  it  time  seriously  to  take  some  decided  measures  to 
bring  this  matter  to  an  issue.  Still,  as  time  gained  was  all  in 
his  favor,  if  improved,  he  first  ordered  the  men  to  begin  to  shift 
the  sheers  forward,  in  hopes  of  being  yet  able  to  carry  oft'  the 
foremast ;  a  spar  that  would  be  exceedingly  useful,  as  it-  would 
save  the  necessity  of  fishing  a  new  head  to  the  one  which  still 
stood  in  the  packet.  He  then  went  aside  with  his  two  ambas 
sadors,  with  a  view  to  give  his  instructions. 

Mr.  Dodge  had  no  sooner  found  himself  safe  in  the  launch 
than  he  felt  his  courage  revive,  and  with  his  courage,  his  in 
genuity,  self-love,  and  assurance.  While  in  the  water,  a  meeker 
man  there  was  not  on  earth ;  he  had  even  some  doubts  as  to 
the  truth  of  all  his  favorite  notions  of  liberty  and  equality,  for 
men  think  fast  in  danger,  and  there  was  an  instant  when  he 
might  have  been  easily  persuaded  to  acknowledge  himself  a 
demagogue  and  a  hypocrite  in  his  ordinary  practices;  one 
whose  chief  motive  was  self,  and  whose  besetting  passions  were 
envy,  distrust,  and  malice  ;  or,  in  other  words,  very  much  the 
creature  he  was.  Shame  came  next,  and  he  eagerly  sought 
an  excuse  for  the  want  of  manliness  he  had  betrayed ;  but,  pass- 
in^  over  the  language  he  had  held  in  the  launch,  and  the  means 

&  O          & 

Mr.  Leach  found  to  persuade  him  to  land  again,  we  shall  give 
his  apology  in  his  own  words,  as  he  now  somewhat  hurriedly 
delivered  it,  to  Captain  Truck,  in  his  own  peison. 

"  I  must  have  misunderstood  your  arrangement,  captain,"  he 
said  ;  "  for  somehow,  though  how  I  do  not  exactly  know — but 
somehow  the  alarm  of  the  Arabs  was  no  sooner  given  than  I. 
felt  as  if  I  ought  to  be  in  the  launch  to  be  at  my  post ;  but  I 
suppose  it  was  because  I  knew  that  the  sails  and  spars  that 
brought  us  here  are  mostly  there,  and  that  this  was  the  spot  to 
be  most  resolutely  defended.  I  do  think,  if  they  had  waded  off 
to  us,  I  should  have  fought  like  a  tiger !" 

"  No  doubt  you  would,  my  dear  sir,  and  like  a  wild-cat  too  ! 


284  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

We  all  make  mistakes  in  judgment,  in  war,  and  in  politics,  and 
no  fact  is  better  known  than  that  the  Lest  soldiers  in  the  end 
are  they  who  give  a  little  ground  at  the  first  attack.  But  Mr. 
Leach  has  explained  to  you  the  plan  of  Mr.  Monday,  and  I  rely 
on  your  spirit  and  zeal,  Avhich  there  is  now  an  excellent  oppor 
tunity  to  prove,  as  before  it  was  only  demonstrated." 

"  If  it  were  only  an  opportunity  of  meeting  the  Arabs  sword 
in  hand,  captain." 

"  Pooh !  pooh  !  my  dear  friend,  take  two  swords  if  you 
choose.  One  who  is  full  of  fight  can  never  get  the  battle  on 
his  own  terms.  Fill  the  Arabs  with  the  schnapps  of  the  poor 
Dane,  and  if  they  should  make  the  smallest  symptom  of  moving 
down  towards  us,  I  rely  on  you  to  give  the  alarm,  in  order  that 
we  may  be  ready  for  them.  Trust  to  us  for  the  overture  of  the 
piece,  as  I  trust  to  you  for  the  overtures  of  peace." 

"  In  what  way  can  we  possibly  do  this,  Mr.  Monday  ? .  How 
can  we  give  the  alarm  in  season  ?" 

"  Why,"  interposed  the  unmoved  captain,  ';you  may  just 
shoot  the  sheik,  and  that  will  be  killing  two  birds  with  one 
stone;  you  will  take  your  pistols,  of  course,  and  blaze  away 
upon  them,  starboard  and  larboard ;  rely  on  it,  we  shall  hear 
you." 

"Of  that  I  make  no  doubt, but  I  rather  distrust  the  prudence 
of  the  step.  That  is,  I  declare,  Mr.  Monday,  it  looks  awfully 
like  tempting  Providence  !  I  begin  to  have  conscientious  scru 
ples.  I  hope  you  are  quite  certain,  captain,  there  is  nothing 
in  all  this  against  the  laws  of  Africa  ?  Good  moral  and  reli 
gious  influences  are  not  to  be  overlooked.  My  mind  is  quite 
exercised  in  the  premises  !" 

"You  are  much  too  conscientious  for  a  diplomatic  man," 
said  Mr.  Truck,  between  the  puffs  at  a  fresh  cigar.  "You  need 
not  shoot  any  of  the  women,  and  what  more  does  a  man  want  ? 
Come,  no  more  words,  but  to  the  duty  heartily.  Every  one 
expects  it  of  you,  since  no  one  can  do  it  half  so  well;  and  if 
you  ever  get  back  to  Dodgeopolis,  there  will  be  matter  for  a, 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  285 

paragraph  every  day  of  the  year  for  the  next  six  months.  If 
any  tiling  serious  happen  to  you,  trust  to  me  to  do  your  memo 
ry  justice." 

"  Captain,  captain,  this  trifling  with  the  future  is  blasphe 
mous  !  Men  seldom  talk  of  death  with  impunity,  and  it  really 
hurts  my  feelings  to  touch  on  such  awful  subjects  so  lightly. 
I  will  go,  for  I  do  not  well  see  how  the  matter  is  to  be  helped; 
but  let  us  go  amicably,  and  with  such  presents  as  will  secure  a 
good  reception  and  a  safe  return." 

"Mr.  Monday  takes  the  liquor-case  of  the  Dane,  and  you  are 
welcome  to  any  thing  that  is  left,  but  the  foremast.  That  I 
shall  fight  for,  even  if  lions  come  out  of  the  desert  to  help  the 
Arabs." 

Mr.  Dodge  had  many  more  objections,  some  of  which  he 
urged  openly,  and  more  of  which  he  felt  in  his  inmost  spirit. 
But  for  the  unfortunate  dive  into  the  water,  he  certainly  would 
have  pleaded  his  immunities  as  a  passenger,  and  plumply  re 
fused  to  be  put  forward  on  such  an  occasion ;  but  he  felt  that 
he  was  a  disgraced  man,  and  that  some  decided  act  of  spirit 
was  necessary  to  redeem  his  character.  The  neutrality  observed 
by  the  Arabs,  moreover,  greatly  encouraged  him  ;  for  he  leaned 
to  an  opinion  Captain  Truck  had  expressed,  that  so  long  as 
a  strong-armed  party  remained  in  the  wreck,  the  sheik,  if 
a  man  of  any  moderation  and  policy,  would  not  proceed  to 
violence. 

"  You  may  tell  him,  gentlemen,"  continued  Mr.  Truck,  k'  that 
as  soon  as  I  have  whipped  the  foremast  out  of  the  Dane,  I  will 
evacuate,  and  leave  him  the  wreck,  and  all  it  contains.  The 
stick  can  do  him  no  good,  and  I  want  it  in  my  heart's  core. 
Put  this  matter  before  him  plainly,  and  there  is  no  doubt  we 
shall  part  the  best  friends  in  the  world.  Remember  one  thing, 
however,  we  shall  set  about  lifting  the  spar  the  moment  you 
quit  us,  and  should  there  be  any  signs  of  an  attack,  give  us 
notice  in  season,  that  we  may  take  to  our  arms." 

By  this  reasoning  Mr.  Dodge  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded 


286  HOME  \V  A  K  D     BOUND. 

to  go  on  the  mission,  though  his  ingenuity  and  fears  supplied 
an  additional  motive  that  he  took  very  good  care  not  to  betray. 
Should  there  be  a  battle,  he  knew  he  would  be  expected  to 
fight,  if  he  remained  with  his  own  party,  and  if  with  the  other, 
he  might  plausibly  secrete  himself  until  the  affair  was  over ; 
for,  with  a  man  of  his  temperament,  eventual  slavery  had  less 
horrors  than  immediate  death. 

When  Mr.  Monday  and  his  co-commissioner  ascended  the 
bank,  bearing  the  case  of  liquors  and  a  few  light  offerings  that 
the  latter  had  found  in  the  wreck,  it  was  just  as  the  crew,  as 
sured  that  the  Arabs  still  remained  tranquil,  had  seriously  set 
about  pursuing  their  great  object.  On  the  margin  of  the  plain, 
Captain  Truck  took  his  leave  of  the  ambassadors,  though  he 
remained  some  time  to  reconnoitre  the  appearance  of  things  in 
the  wild-looking  camp,  which  was  placed  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  the  spot  on  which  he  stood.  The  number  of  the  Arabs 
had  not  certainly  been  exaggerated,  and  what  gave  him  the 
most  uneasiness  was  the  fact  that  parties  appeared  to  be  con 
stantly  communicating  with  more,  who  probably  lay  behind  a 
ridge  of  sand  that  bounded  the  view  less  than  a  mile  distant 
inland,  as  they  all  went  and  came  in  that  direction.  After 
waiting  to  see  his  two  envoyes  in  the  very  camp,  he  stationed  a 
look-out  on  the  bank,  and  returned  to  the  wreck,  to  hurry  on 
the  all-important  work. 

Mr.  Monday  was  the  efficient  man  of  the  two  commissioners, 
so  soon  as  they  were  fairly  embarked  in  their  enterprise.  He 
was  strong  of  nerves,  and  without  imagination  to  fancy  dangers 
where  they  were  not  very  obvious,  and  had  a  great  faith  in  the 
pacific  virtues  of  the  liquor-case.  An  Arab  advanced  to  meet 
them,  when  near  the  tents ;  and  although  conversation  was 
quite  out  of  the  question,  by  pure  force  of  gesticulations,  aided 
by  the  single  word  "sheik,"  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  an 
introduction  to  that  personage. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  desert  have  been  so  often  described 
that  we  shall  assume  they  are  known  to  our  readers,  and  pro- 


HOMEWARD       BO  U  N  D  .  287 

ceed  with  our  narrative  the  same  as  if  we  had  to  do  with  Chris 
tians.  Much  of  what  has  been  written  of  the  hospitality  of  the 
Arabs,  if  true  of  any  portion  of  them,  is  hardly  true  of  those 
tribes  which  frequent  the  Atlantic  coast,  where  the  practice  of 
wrecking  wrould  seem  to  have  produced  the  same  effect  on  their 
habits  and  morals  that  it  is  known  to  produce  elsewhere.  But 
a  ship  protected  by  a  few  weatherworn  and  stranded  mariners, 
and  a  ship  defended  by  a  strong  and  an  armed  party,  like  that 
headed  by  Captain  Truck,  presented  very  different  objects  to 
the  cupidity  of  these  barbarians.  They  knew  the  great  advan 
tage  they  possessed  by  being  on  their  own  ground,  and  wero 
content  to  await  events,  in  preference  to  risking  a  doubtful  con 
test.  Several  of  the  party  had  been  at  Mogadore,  and  other 
parts,  and  had  acquired  tolerably  accurate  ideas  of  the  power 
of  vessels  ;  and  as  they  were  confident  the  men  now  at  work 
at  the  wreck  had  not  the  means  of  carrying  away  the  cargo, 
their  own  principal  object,  curiosity  and  caution,  connected 
with  certain  plans  that  were  already  laid  amono-  their  leaders, 

•/  C5 

kept  them  quiet,  for  the  moment  at  least. 

These  people  were  not  so  ignorant  as  to  require  to  be  told 
that  some  other  vessel  was  at  no  great  distance,  and  their  scouts 
had  been  out  in  all  directions  to  ascertain  the  fact,  previously  to 
taking  their  ultimate  measures ;  for  the  sheik  himself  had  some 
pretty  just  notions  of  the  force  of  a  vessel  of  war,  and  of  the 
danger  of  contending  with  one.  The  result  of  his  policy,  there 
fore,  will  better  appear  in  the  course  of  the  narrative. 

The  reception  of  the  two  envoys  of  Captain  Truck  was  masked 
by  that  smiling  and  courteous  politeness  which  seems  to  diminish 
as  one  travels  west,  and  to  increase  as  he  gocjs  eastward  ;  though 
it  was  certainly  less  elaborate  than  would  have  been  found  in 
the  palace  of  an  Indian  rajah.  The  sheik  was  not  properly  a 
sheik,  nor  was  the  party  composed  of  genuine  Arabs,  though 
we  have  thus  styled  them  from  usage.  The  first,  however, 
was  a  man  in  authority,  and  he  and  his  followers  possessed 


288  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

enough  of  the  origin  and  characteristics  of  the  tribes  east  of  the 
Red  Sea,  to  be  sufficiently  described  by  the  appellation  we  have 
adopted. 

Mr.  Monday  and  Mr.  Dodge  were  invited  by  signs  to  be 
seated,  and  refreshments  were  offered.  As  the  last  were  not 
particularly  inviting,  Mr.  Monday  was  not  slow  in  producing 
his  own  offering,  and  in  recommending  its  quality,  by  setting 
example  of  the  way  in  which  it  ought  to  be  treated.  Although 
Mussulmans,  the  hosts  did  not  scruple  about  tasting  the  cup, 
and  ten  minutes  of  pantomime,  potations,  and  grimaces,  brought 
about  a  species  of  intimacy  between  the  parties. 

The  man  who  had  been  so  unceremoniously  captured  the 
previous  night  by  Captain  Truck,  was  now  introduced,  and 
much  curiosity  was  manifested  to  know  whether  his  account  of 
the  disposition  in  the  strangers  to  eat  their  fellow-creatures  was 
true.  The  inhabitants  of  the  desert,  in  the  course  of  ages,  had 
gleaned  certain  accounts  of  mariners  eating  their  shipmates, 
from  their  different  captives,  and  vague  traditions  to  that  effect 
existed  among  them,  which  the  tale  of  this  man  had  revived. 
Had  the  sheik  kept  a  journal,  like  Mr.  Dodge,  the  result  of  these 
inquiries  would  probably  have  been  some  entries  concerning  the 
customs  and  characters  of  the  Americans,  that  were  quite  as 
original  as  those  of  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer  concern 
ing  the  different  nations  he  had  visited. 

Mr.  Monday  paid  great  attention  to  the  pantomime  of  the 
Arab,  in  which  that  worthy  endeavored  to  explain  the  disposi 
tion  of  Captain  Truck  to  make  a  barbecue  of  him  :  when  it 
was  ended,  he  gravely  informed  his  companions  that  the  sheik 
had  invited  them  to  stay  for  dinner, — a  proposition  that  he  was 
disposed  to  accept ;  but  the  sensitiveness  of  Mr.  Dodge  viewed 
the  matter  otherwise,  for,  with  a  conformity  of  opinion  that 
really  said  something  in  favor  of  the  science  of  signs,  he  arrived 
at  the  same  conclusion  as  the  poor  Arab  himself — with  the 
material  difference,  that  he  fancied  that  the  Arabs  were  dis- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  289 

posed  to  make  a  meal  of  himself.  Mr.  Monday,  who  was  a 
hearty  beef  and  brandy  personage,  scouted  the  idea,  and 
thought  the  matter  settled,  by  pointing  to  two  or  three  young 
camels,  and  asking  the  editor  if  he  thought  any  man,  Turk  or 
Christian,  would  think  of  eating  one  so  lank,  meager,  and  un 
inviting,  as  himself,  when  they  had  so  much  capital  food  of 
another  sort  at  their  elbow.  "  Take  your  share  of  the  liquor 
while  it  is  passing,  man,  and  set  your  heart  at  ease  as  to  the 
dinner,  which  I  make  no  doubt  will  be  substantial  and  decent. 
Had  I  known  of  the  favor  intended  us,  I  should  have  brought 
out  the  sheik  a  service  of  knives  and  forks  from  Birming 
ham  ;  for  he  really  seems  a  well-disposed  and  gentleman-like 
man.  A  very  capital  fellow,  I  dare  say,  we  shall  find  him, 
after  he  has  had  a  few  camel's  steaks,  and  a  proper  allowance 
of  schnapps.  Mr.  Sheik,  I  drink  your  health  with  all  my 
heart." 

The  accidents  of  life  could  scarcely  have  brought  together, 
in  circumstances  so  peculiar,  men  whose  characters  were  more 
completely  the  converse  of  each  other  than  Mr.  Monday  and 
Mr.  Dodge.  They  were  perfect  epitomes  of  two  large  classes 
in  their  respective  nations,  and  so  diametrically  opposed  to  each 
other,  that  one  could  hardly  recognize  in  them  scions  from  a 
common  stock.  The  first  was  dull,  obstinate,  straight-forward, 
hearty  in  his  manners,  and  not  without  sincerity,  though  wily 
in  a  bargain,  with  all  his  seeming  frankness  ;  the  last,  distrust 
ful,  cunning  rather  than  quick  of  comprehension,  insincere, 
fawning  when  he  thought  his  interests  concerned,  and  jealous 
and  detracting  at  all  other  times,  with  a  coldness  of  exterior 
that  had  at  least  the  merit  of  appearing  to  avoid  deception. 
Both  were  violently  prejudiced,  though  in  Mr.  Monday  it  was  the 
prejudice  of  old  dogmas  in  religion,  politics,  and  morals ;  and 
in  the  other,  it  was  the  vice  of  provincialism,  and  an  education 
that  was  not  entirely  free  from  the  fanaticism  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  One  consequence  of  this  discrepancy  of  character 

13 


290 


HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


was  a  perfect  opposite  manner  of  viewing  matters  in  this  in 
terview.  While  Mr.  Monday  was  disposed  to  take  things  ami 
cably,  Mr.  Dodge  was  all  suspicion ;  and  had  they  then  returned 
to  the  wreck,  the  last  would  have  called  to  arms,  while  the  first 
would  have  advised  Captain  Truck  to  go  out  and  visit  the  sheik, 
in  the  manner  one  would  visit  a  respectable  and  agreeable 
neighbor. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  291 


CHAPTER    XX. 

"Tis  of  more  worth  than  kingdoms!  far  more  precious 
'Than  all  the  crimson  treasures  of  life's  fountain  1 
Oh,  let  it  not  elude  thy  grasp  !" 

COTTON. 

THINGS  were  in  this  state,  the  sheik  and  his  guests  communi 
cating  by  signs,  in  such  a  way  as  completely  to  mystify  each 
other;  Mr.  Monday  drinking,  Mr.  Dodge  conjecturing,  and 
parties  quitting  the  camp  and  arriving  every  ten  minutes,  when 
an  Arab  pointed  eagerly  with  his  ringer  in  the  direction  of  the 
wreck.  The  head  of  the  foremast  was  slowly  rising,  and  the 
look-out  in  the  top  was  clinging  to  the  spar,  which  began  to 
cant,  in  order  to  keep  himself  from  falling.  The  sheik  affected 
to  smile  ;  but  he  was  evidently  disturbed,  and  two  or  three 
messengers  were  sent  out  into  the  camp.  In  the  mean  while, 
the  spar  began  to  lower,  and  was  soon  entirely  concealed  be 
neath  the  bank. 

It  was  now  apparent  that  the  Arabs  thought  the  moment  had 
arrived  when  it  was  their  policy  to  interfere.  The  sheik,  there 
fore,  left  his  guests  to  be  entertained  by  two  or  three  others  who 
had  joined  in  the  potations,  and  making  the  best  assurances  he 
could  by  means  of  signs,  of  his  continued  amity,  he  left  the 
tent.  Laying  aside  all  his  arms,  attended  by  two  or  three  old 
men  like  himself,  he  went  boldly  to  the  plank,  and  descended 
quietly  to  the  sands,  where  he  found  Captain  Truck  busied  in 
endeavoring  to  get  the  spar  into  the  water.  The  top  was  al 
ready  afloat,  and  the  stick  itself  was  cut  round  in  the  right 
position  for  rolling,  when  the  foul,  but  grave-looking  barbarians 


292  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

appeared  among  the  workmen.  As  the  latter  had  been  apprised 
of  their  approach,  and  of  the  fact  of  their  being  unarmed,  no 
one  left  his  employment  to  receive  them,  with  the  exception  of 
Captain  Truck  himself. 

"Bear  a  hand  with  the  spar,  Mr.  Leach,"  he  said,  "while  I 
entertain  these  gentlemen.  It  is  a  good  sign  that  they  come 
to  us  without  arms,  and  it  shall  never  be  said  that  we  are  be 
hind  them  in  civility.  Half  an  hour  will  settle  our  affairs, 
when  these  gentry  are  welcome  to  what  will  be  left  of  the 
Dane.  Your  servant,  gentlemen  ;  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  and  beg 
the  honor  to  shake  hands  with  all  of  you,  from  the  oldest  to 
the  youngest." 

Although  the  Arabs  understood  nothing  that  was  said,  they 
permitted  Captain  Truck  to  give  each  of  them  a  hearty  shake 
of  the  hand,  smiling  and  muttering  their  own  compliments  with 
as  much  apparent  good-will  as  was  manifested  by  the  old  sea 
man  himself. 

"  God  help  the  Danes,  if  they  have  fallen  into  servitude 
among  these  blackguards !"  said  the  captain,  aloud,  while  he 
was  shaking  the  sheik  a  second  time  most  cordially  by  the 
hand,  "  for  a  fouler  set  of  thieves  I  never  laid  eyes  on,  Leach. 
Mr.  Monday  has  tried  the  virtue  of  the  schnapps  on  them, 
notwithstanding,  for  the  odor  of  gin  is  mingled  with  that 
of  grease,  about  the  old  scoundrel.  Roll  away  at  the  spar, 
boys !  half-a-dozen  more  such  heaves,  and  you  will  have  him 
in  his  native  element,  as  the  newspapers  call  it.  I'm  glad 
to  see  you,  gentlemen  ;  we  are  badly  off  as  to  chairs,  on  this 
beach,  but  to  such  as  we  have  you  are  heartily  welcome.  Mr. 
Leach,  the  Arab  sheik — Arab  sheik,  Mr.  Leach.  On  the  bank 
there?" 

"  Sir." 

"  Any  movement  among  the  Arabs  ?" 

"  About  thirty  have  just  ridden  back  into  the  desert,  mounted 
on  camels,  sir ;  nothing  more." 

"  No  signs  of  our  passengers  ?" 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  293 

u  Ay,  ay,  sir.  Here  comes  Mr.  Dodge  under  full  sail,  head 
ing  for  the  bank,  as  straight  as  lie  can  lay  his  course  1" 

"  Ha !— Is  he  pursued  ?" 

The  men  ceased  their  work,  and  glanced  aside  at  their  arms. 

"  Not  at  all,  sir.  Mr.  Monday  is  calling  after  him,  and  the 
Arabs  seem  to  be  laughing.  Mr.  Monday  is  just  splicing  the 
main-brace  with  one  of  the  rascals." 

"  Let  the  Atlantic  ocean,  then,  look  out  for  itself,  for  Mr.  Dodge 
will  be  certain  to  run  over  it.  Heave  away,  my  hearties,  and  the 
stick  will  be  afloat  yet  before  that  gentleman  is  fairly  docked." 

The  men  worked  with  good-will,  but  their  zeal  was  far  less 
efficient  than  that  of  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer,  who  now 
broke  through  the  bushes,  and  plunged  down  the  bank  with  a 
velocity  which,  if  continued,  would  have  carried  him  to  Dodge- 
opolis  itself  within  the  month.  The  Arabs  started  at  this  sud 
den  apparition,  but  perceiving  that  those  around  them  laughed, 
they  were  disposed  to  take  the  interruption  in  good  part.  The 
look-out  now  announced  the  approach  of  Mr.  Monday,  followed 
by  fifty  Arabs;  the  latter,  however,  being  without  arms,  and 
the  former  without  his  hat.  The  moment  was  critical,  but  the 
steadiness  of  Captain  Truck  did  not  desert  him.  Issuing  a 
rapid  order  to  the  second  mate,  with  a  small  party  previously 
selected  for  that  duty,  to  stand  by  the  arms,  he  urged  the  rest 
of  the  people  to  renewed  exertions.  Just  as  this  was  done,  Mr. 
Monday  appeared  on  the  bank,  with  a  bottle  in  one  hand  and 
a  glass  in  the  other,  calling  aloud  to  Mr.  Dodge  to  return  and 
drink  with  the  Arabs. 

u  Do  not  disgrace  Christianity  in  this  unmannerly  way,"  he 
said  ;  "  but  show  these  gentlemen  of  the  desert  that  we  know 
what  propriety  is.  Captain  Truck,  I  beg  of  you  to  urge  Mr. 
Dodge  to  return.  I  was  about  to  sing  the  Arabs  '  God  save  the 
King,'  and  in  a  few  more  minutes  we  should  have  had  '  Rule 
Britannia,'  when  we  should  have  been  the  best  friends  and 
companions  in  the  world.  Captain  Truck,  I've  the  honor  to 
drink  vour  health." 


294  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

But  Captain  Truck  viewed  the  matter  differently.  Both  his 
ambassadors  were  now  safely  back,  for  Mr.  Monday  came  down 
upon  the  beach,  followed,  it  is  true,  by  all  the  Arabs,  and  the 
mast  was  afloat.  lie  thought  it  better,  therefore,  that  Mr. 
Dodge  should  remain,  and  that  the  two  parties  should  be  as 
quietly,  but  as  speedily  as  possible,  separated.  He  ordered  the 
hauling  line  to  be  fastened  to  the  mast,  and  as  the  stick  was 
slowly  going  out  through  the  snrf,  he  issued  the  order  for  the 
men  to  collect  their  implements,  take  their  arms,  and  to  assem 
ble  in  a  body  at  the  rocks,  where  the  jolly-boat  still  lay. 

"Be  quick,  men,  but  be  steady;  for  there  are  a  hundred  of 
these  rascals  on  the  beach  already,  and  all  the  last-comers  are 
armed.  We  might  pick  up  a  few  more  useful  things  from  the 
wreck,  but  the  wind  is  coining  in  from  the  westward,  and  our 
principal  concern  now  will  be  to  save  what  we  have  got.  Lead 
Mr.  Monday  along  with  you,  Leach,  for  he  is  so  full  of  diplo 
macy  and  schnapps  just  now  that  he  forgets  his  safety.  As  for 
Mr.  Dodge,  I  see  he  is  stowed  away  in  the  boat  already,  as 
snug  as  the  ground-tier  in  a  ship  loaded  with  molasses.  Count 
the  men  off,  sir,  and  see  that  no  one  is  missing." 

By  this  time,  the  state  of  things  on  the  beach  had  undergone 
material  changes.  The  wreck  was  full  of  Arabs,  some  of  whom 
were  armed  and  some  not;  while  mauls,  crows,  handspikes, 
purchases,  coils  of  rigging,  and  marline-spikes,  were  scattered 
about  on  the  sands,  just  where  they  had  been  dropped  by 
the  seamen.  A  party  of  fifty  Arabs  had  collected  around  the 
rocks,  where,  by  this  time,  all  the  mariners  were  assembled, 
intermingling  with  the  latter,  and  apparently  endeavoring  to 
maintain  the  friendly  relations  which  had  been  established  by 
Mr.  Monday.  As  a  portion  of  these  men  were  also  armed, 
Captain  Truck  disliked  their  proceedings  ;  but  the  inferiority 
of  his  numbers,  and  the  disadvantage  under  which  he  was 
placed,  compelled  him  to  resort  to  management  rather  thai? 
force,  in  order  to  extricate  himself. 

The  Arabs  now  crowded  around  and  intermingled  with  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  295 

seamen,  thronged  the  ship,  and  lined  the  bank,  to  the  number 
of  more  than  two  hundred.  It  became  evident  that  their  true 
force  had  been  underrated,  and  that  additions  were  constantly 
making  to  it,  from  those  who  lay  behind  the  ridges  of  sand. 
All  those  who  appeared  last  had  arms  of  one  kind  or  another, 
and  several  brought  firearms,  which  they  gave  to  the  sheik, 
and  to  those  who  had  first  descended  to  the  beach.  Still,  every 
face  seemed  amicable,  and  the  men  were  scarcely  permitted  to 
execute  their  orders,  from  the  frequent  interruptions  to  exchange 
tokens  of  friendship. 

But  Captain  Truck  fully  believed  that  hostilities  were  in 
tended,  arid  although  he  had  suffered  himself  in  some  measure 
to  be  surprised,  he  set  about  repairing  his  error  with  great 
judgment  and  admirable  steadiness.  His  first  step  was  to  extri 
cate  his  own  people  from  those  who  pressed  upon  them,  a  thing 
that  was  effected  by  causing  a  few  to  take  a  position,  that 
might  be  defended,  higher  among  the  rocks,  as  they  afforded  a 
good  deal  of  cover,  and  which  communicated  directly  with  the 
place  where  they  had  landed  ;  and  then  ordering  the  remainder 
of  the  men  to  fall  back  singly.  To  prevent  an  alarm,  each  man 
was  called  off  by  name,  and  in  this  manner  the  whole  party 
had  got  within  the  prescribed  limits,  before  the  Arabs,  who 
were  vociferating  and  talking  all  together,  seemed  to  be  aware 
of  the  movement.  When  some  of  the  latter  attempted  to  fol 
low,  they  were  gently  repulsed  by  the  sentinels.  All  this  time 
Captain  Truck  maintained  the  utmost  cordiality  towards  the 
sheik,  keeping  near  him,  and  amongst  the  Arabs  himself.  The 
work  of  plunder,  in  the  mean  time,  had  begun  in  earnest  in  the 
wreck,  and  this  he  thought  a  favorable  symptom,  as  men  thus 
employed  would  be  less  likely  to  make  a  hostile  attack.  Still 
he  knew  that  prisoners  were  of  great  account  among  these  bar 
barians,  and  that  an  attempt  to  tow  the  raft  off  from  the  land, 
in  open  boats,  where  his  people  would  be  exposed  to  every  shot 
from  the  wreck,  would  subject  them  to  the  greatest  danger  of 
.defeat,  were  the  former  disposed  to  prevent  it. 


296  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

Having  reflected  a  few  minutes  on  his  situation,  Captain 
Truck  issued  his  final  orders.  The  jolly-boat  might  carry  a 
dozen  men  at  need,  though  they  would  be  crowded  and  much 
exposed  to  fire  ;  and  he,  therefore,  caused  eight  to  get  into  her, 
and  to  pull  out  to  the  launch.  Mr.  Leach  went  with  this  party, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  directing  its  movements,  and  of  being 
separated  from  his  commander,  in  order  that  one  of  those  who 
were  of  so  much  importance  to  the  packet,  might  at  least  stand 
a  chance  of  being  saved.  This  separation  also  was  effected 
without  alarming  the  Arabs,  though  Captain  Truck  observed 
that  the  sheik  watched  the  proceeding  narrowly. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Leach  had  reached  the  launch,  he  caused  a 
light  kedge  to  be  put  into  the  jolly-boat,  and  coils  of  the  light 
est  rigging  he  had  were  laid  on  the  top  of  it,  or  were  made  on 
the  bows  of  the  launch.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the  boat 
was  pulled  a  long  distance  off  from  the  land,  paying  out  the 
ropes  first  from  the  launch,  and  then  from  the  boat  itself,  until 
no  more  of  the  latter  remained.  The  kedge  was  then  dropped, 
and  the  men  in  the  launch  began  to  haul  in  upon  the  ropes 
that  were  attached  to  it.  As  the  jolly-boat  returned  imme 
diately,  and  her  crew  joined  in  the  work,  the  line  of  boats,  the 
kedge  by  which  they  had  previously  ridden  having  been  first 
raised,  began  slowly  to  recede  from  the  shore.  Captain  Truck 
had  rightly  conjectured  the  effect  of  this  movement.  It  was 
so  unusual  and  so  gradual,  that  the  launch  and  the  raft  were 
warped  up  to  the  kedge  before  the  Arabs  fully  comprehended 
its  nature.  The  boats  were  now  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  wreck,  for  Mr.  Leach  had  run  out  quite  two  hundred 
fathoms  of  small  rope,  and,  of  course,  so  distant  as  greatly  to 
diminish  the  danger  from  the  muskets  of  the  Arabs,  though 
still  within  reach  of  their  range.  Near  an  hour  was  passed  in 
effecting  this  point,  which,  as  the  sea  and  wind  were  both  ris 
ing,  could  not  probably  have  been  effected  in  any  other  man 
ner  half  as  soon,  if  at  all. 

The  state  of  the  weather,  and  the  increasing  turbulence  of 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  297 

the  barbarians,  now  rendered  it  extremely  desirable  to  all  on 
the  rocks  to  be  in  their  boats  again.  A  very  moderate  blow 
would  compel  them  to  abandon  their  hard-earned  advantages,, 
and  it  began  to  be  pretty  evident,  from  the  manners  of  those 
around  them,  that  amity  could  not  much  longer  be  maintained. 
Even  the  old  sheik  retired,  and,  instead  of  going  to  the  wreck, 
he  joined  the  party  on  the  beach,  where  he  was  seen  in  earnest 
conversation  with  several  other  old  men,  all  of  whom  gesticu 
lated  vehemently,  as  they  pointed  towards  the  boats  and  to  the 
party  on  the  rocks. 

Mr.  Leach  now  pulled  in  towards  the  bar,  with  both  the 
jolly-boats  and  the  cutter,  having  only  two  oars  each,  half  his 
men  being  left  in  the  launch.  This  was  done  that  the  people 
might  not  be  crowded  at  the  critical  moment,  and  that,  at  need, 
there  might  be  room  to  fight  as  well  as  to  row ;  all  these  pre 
cautions  having  been  taken  in  consequence  of  Captain  Truck's 
previous  orders.  When  the  boats  reached  the  rocks,  the  people 
did  not  hurry  into  them  ;  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour  was  passed 
in  preparations,  as  if  they  were  indifferent  about  proceeding, 
and  even  then  the  jolly-boat  alone  took  in  a  portion,  and  pulled 
leisurely  without  the  bar.  Here  she  lay  on  her  oars,  in  order 
to  cover  the  passage  of  the  other  boats,  if  necessary,  with  her 
fire.  The  cutter  imitated  this  manoeuvre,  and  the  boat  of  the 
wreck  went  last.  Captain  Truck  quitted  the  rock  after  all  the 
others,  though  his  embarkation  was  made  rapidly  by  a  prompt 
and  sudden  movement. 

Not  a  shot  was  fired,  however,  and,  contrary  to  his  own  most 
ardent  hopes,  the  captain  found  himself  at  the  launch,  with  all 
his  people  unhurt,  and  with  all  the  spars  he  had  so  much 
desired  to  obtain.  The  forbearance  of  the  Arabs  was  a  mys 
tery  to  him,  for  he  had  fully  expected  hostilities  would  com 
mence,  every  moment,  for  the  last  two  hours.  Nor  was  he  yet 
absolutely  out  of  danger,  though  there  was  time  to  pause  and 
look  about  him,  and  to  take  his  succeeding  measures  more 
deliberately.  The  first  report  was  a  scarcity  of  both  food  and 


298  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

water.  For  both  these  essentials  the  men  had  depended  on 
the  wreck,  and,  in  the  eagerness  to  secure  the  foremast,  and 
subsequently  to  take  care  of  themselves,  these  important  re 
quisites  had  been  overlooked,  quite  probably,  too,  as  much  from 
a  knowledge  that  the  Montauk  was  so  near,  as  from  hurry. 
Still  both  were  extremely  desirable,  if  not  indispensable,  to  men 
who  had  the  prospect  of  many  hours'  hard  work  before  them  ; 
and  Captain  Truck's  first  impulse  was  to  dispatch  a  boat  to  the 
ship  for  supplies.  This  intention  was  reluctantly  abandoned, 
however,  on  account  of  the  threatening  appearance  of  the 
weather. 

There  was  no  danger  of  a  gale,  but  a  smart  sea-breeze  was 
beginning  to  set  in,  and  the  surface  of  the  ocean  was,  as  usual, 
getting  to  be  agitated.  Changing  all  his  plans,  therefore,  the 
captain  turned  his  immediate  attention  to  the  safety  of  the  all- 
important  spars. 

"  We  can  eat  to-morrow,  men,"  he  said  ;  "  but  if  we  lose 
these  sticks,  our  chance  for  getting  any  more  will  indeed  be 
small.  Take  a  gang  on  the  raft,  Mr.  Leach,  and  double  all  the 
lashings,  while  I  see  that  we  get  an  offing.  If  the  wind  rises 
any  more,  we  shall  need  it,  and  even  then  be  worse  off  than 
we  could  wish." 

The  mate  passed  upon  the  raft,  and  set  about  securing  all 
the  spars  by  additional  fastenings ;  for  the  working,  occasioned 
by  the  sea,  already  rendered  them  loose,  and  liable  to  separate. 
While  this  was  in  train,  the  two  jolly-boats  took  in  lines  and 
kedges,  of  which,  luckily,  they  had  one  that  was  brought  from 
the  packet,  besides  two  found  in  the  wreck,  and  pulled  off  into 
the  ocean.  As  soon  as  one  kedge  was  dropped,  that  by  which 
the  launch  rode  was  tripped,  and  the  boats  were  hauled  up  to 
it,  the  other  jolly-boat  proceeding  on  to  renew  the  process.  In 
this  manner,  in  the  course  of  two  more  hours,  the  whole,  raft 
and  all,  were  warped  broad  off  from  the  land,  and  to  windward, 
quite  two  miles,  when  the  water  became  so  deep  that  Captain 
Truck  reluctantly  gave  the  order  to  cease. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  299 

u  I  would  gladly  work  our  way  into  the  offing  in  this  mode, 
three  or  four  leagues,"  he  said,  "  by  which  means  we  might 
make  a  fair  wind  of  it.  As  it  is,  we  must  get  all  clear,  and  do 
as  well  as  we  can.  Rig  the  masts  in  the  launch,  Mr.  Leach, 
and  we  will  see  what  can  be  done  with  this  dull  craft  we  have 
in  tow." 

AVhile  this  order  was  in  course  of  execution,  the  glass  was 
used  to  ascertain  the  manner  in  which  the  Arabs  were  occupied. 
To  the  surprise  of  all  in  the  boats,  every  soul  of  them  had  dis 
appeared.  The  closest  scrutiny  could  not  detect  one  near  the 
wreck,  on  the  beach,  nor  even  at  the  spot  where  the  tents  had 
so  lately  stood. 

"  They  are  all  off,  by  George  !"  cried  Captain  Truck,  when 
fully  satisfied  of  the  fact.  "  Camels,  tents,  and  Arabs  !  The 
rascals  have  loaded  their  beasts  already,  and  most  probably 
have  gone  to  hide  their  plunder,  that  they  may  be  back  and 
make  sure  of  a  second  haul,  before  any  of  their  precious  brother 

vultures,  up  in  the  sands,  get  a  scent  of  the  carrion.  D n 

the  rogues  !  I  thought  at  one  time  they  had  me  in  a  category ! 
Well,  joy  be  with  them  !  Mr.  Monday,  I  return  you  my  hearty 
thanks  for  the  manly,  frank,  and  diplomatic  manner  in  which 
you  have  discharged  the  duties  of  your  mission.  Without 
you,  we  might  not  have  succeeded  in  getting  the  foremast.  Mr. 
Dodge,  you  have  the  high  consolation  of  knowing  that,  through 
out  this  trying  occasion,  you  have  conducted  yourself  in  a  way 
no  other  man  of  the  party  could  have  done." 

Mr.  Monday  was  sleeping  off  the  fumes  of  the  schnapps,  but 
Mr.  Dodge  bowed  to  the  compliment,  and  foresaw  many  capital 
things  for  the  journal,  and  for  the  columns  of  the  Active  In 
quirer.  He  even  began  to  meditate  a  book. 

Now  commenced  much  the  most  laborious  and  critical  part 
of  the  service  that  Captain  Truck  had  undertaken,  if  we  except 
the  collision  with  the  Arabs — that  of  towing  all  the  heavy 
spars  of  a  large  ship,  in  one  raft,  in  the  open  sea,  near  a  coast, 
and  with  the  wind  blowing  on  shore.  It  is  true  he  was  strong- 


300  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

handed,  being  able  to  put  ten  oars  in  the  launch,  and  four  in 
all  the  other  boats ;  but,  after  making  sail,  and  pulling  steadily 
for  an  hour,  it  was  discovered  that  all  their  exertions  would  not 
enable  them  to  reach  the  ship,  if  the  wind  stood,  before  the 
succeeding  day.  The  drift  to  leeward,  or  towards  the  beach, 
was  seriously  great,  every  heave  of  the  sea  setting  them  bodily 
down  before  it ;  and  by  the  time  they  were  half  a  mile  to  the 
southward,  they  were  obliged  to  anchor,  in  order  to  keep  clear  of 
the  breakers,  which  by  this  time  extended  fully  a  mile  from  shore. 

Decision  was  fortunately  Captain  Truck's  leading  quality. 
He  foresaw  the  length  and  severity  of  the  struggle  that  was 
before  them ;  and  the  men  had  not  been  pulling  ten  minutes, 
before  he  ordered  Mr.  Leach,  who  was  in  the  cutter,  to  cast  off 
his  line  and  to  come  alongside  the  launch. 

"Pull  back  to  the  wreck,  sir,"  he  said,  "and  bring  off  all 
you  can  lay  hands  on,  in  the  way  of  bread,  water,  and  other 
comforts.  We  shall  make  a  night  of  it,  I  see.  We  will  keep 
a  look-out  for  you,  and  if  any  Arabs  heave  in  sight  on  the 
plain,  a  musket  will  be  fired ;  if  so  many  as  to  render  a  hint 
to  abscond  necessary,  two  muskets  will  be  fired,  and  the  main 
sail  of  the  launch  will  be  furled  for  two  minutes ;  more  time 
than  that  we  cannot  spare  you." 

Mr.  Leach  obeyed  this  order,  and  with  great  success.  Luckily 
the  cook  had  left  the  coppers  full  of  food,  enough  to  last 
twenty -four  hours,  and  this  had  escaped  the  Arabs,  who  were 
ignorant  where  to  look  for  it.  In  addition,  there  was  plenty 
of  bread  and  water;  and  "a  bull  of  Jamaica"  had  been  dis 
covered,  by  the  instinct  of  one  of  the  hands,  which  served  ad 
mirably  to  keep  the  people  in  good-humor.  This  timely  supply 
had  arrived  just  as  the  launch  anchored,  and  Mr.  Truck  wel 
comed  it  with  all  his  heart ;  for  without  it,  he  foresaw  he  should 
soon  be  obliged  to  abandon  his  precious  prize. 

When  the  people  were  refreshed,  the  long  and  laborious  pro 
cess  of  warping  off  the  land  was  resumed,  and,  in  the  course 
of  two  hours  more,  the  raft  was  got  fully  a  league  into  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  301 

offing,  a  shoal  permitting  the  kedges  to  be  used  farther  out  this 
time  than  before.  Then  sail  was  again  made,  and  the  oars  were 
once  more  plied.  But  the  sea  still  proved  their  enemy,  though 
they  had  struck  the  current  which  began  to  set  them  south. 
Had  there  been  no  wind  and  sea,  the  progress  of  the  boats 
would  now  have  been  comparatively  easy  and  quick ;  but  these 
two  adverse  powers  drove  them  in  towards  the  beach  so  fast, 
that  they  had  scarcely  made  two  miles  from  the  wreck  when 
they  were  compelled  a  second  time  to  anchor. 

No  alternative  remained  but  to  keep  warping  off  in  this 
manner,  and  then  to  profit  by  the  offing  they  had  made  as  well 
as  they  could,  the  result  bringing  them  at  sunset  nearly  up  with 
the  headland  that  shut  out  the  view  of  their  own  vessel,  from 
which  Captain  Truck  now  calculated  that  he  was  distant  a  little 
less  than  two  leagues.  The  wind  had  freshened,  and  though  it 
was  not  by  any  means  so  strong  as  to  render  the  sea  dangerous, 
it  increased  the  toil  of  the  men  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  re 
luctantly  determined  to  seek  out  a  proper  anchorage,  and  to 
give  his  wearied  people  some  rest. 

It  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  seamen  to  carry  their  raft  into 
any  haven,  for  to  the  northward  of  the  headland,  or  on  the 
side  on  which  they  were,  there  was  no  reef,  nor  any  bay  to 
afford  them  shelter.  The  coast  was  one  continued  waving  line 
of  sand-banks,  and  in  most  places,  when  there  was  a  wind,  the 
water  broke  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the  beach ;  the 
precise  spot  where  the  Dane  had  stranded  his  vessel,  having 
most  probably  been  chosen  for  that  purpose,  with  a  view  to 
save  the  lives  of  the  people.  Under  these  circumstances  no 
thing  remained  but  to  warp  off  again  to  a  safe  distance,  and  to 
secure  the  boats  as  well  as  they  could  for  the  night.  This  was 
effected  by  eight  o'clock,  and  Captain  Truck  gave  the  order  to 
let  go  two  additional  kedges,  being  determined  not  to  strike 
adrift  in  the  darkness,  if  it  was  in  his  power  to  prevent  it. 
When  this  was  done,  the  people  had  their  suppers,  a  watch  was 
set,  and  the  remainder  went  to  sleep. 


302  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

As  the  three  passengers  had  been  exempted  from  tlie  toil, 
they  volunteered  to  look  out  for  the  safety  of  the  boats  until 
midnight,  in  order  that  the  men  might  obtain  as  much  rest  as 
possible  ;  and  half  an  hour  after  the  crew  were  lost  in  the  deep 
slumber  of  seamen,  Captain  Truck  and  these  gentlemen  were 
seated  in  the  launch,  holding  a  dialogue  on  the  events  of  the 
day. 

"  You  found  the  Arabs  conversable  and  ready  at  the  cup,  Mr. 
Monday  ?"  observed  the  captain,  lighting  a  cigar,  which  with 
him  was  a  never-failing  sign  for  a  gossip  :  "  men  that,  if  they 
had  been  sent  to  school  young,  taught  to  dance,  and  were 
otherwise  civilized,  might  make  reasonably  good  shipmates,  in 
this  roving  world  of  ours  ?" 

"  Upon  my  word,  sir,  I  look  upon  the  sheik  as  uncommon 
gentlemanlike,  and  altogether  as  a  good  fellow.  He  took  his 
glass  without  any  grimaces,  smiled  whenever  he  said  any  thing, 
though  I  could  not  understand  a  word  he  said,  and  answered 
all  my  remarks  quite  as  civilly  as  if  he  spoke  English.  I  must 
say,  I  think  Mr.  Dodge  manifested  a  want  of  consideration  in 
quitting  his  company  with  so  little  ceremony.  The  gentleman 
was  hurt,  I'll  answer  for  it,  and  he  would  say  as  much  if  he 
could  only  make  out  to  explain  himself  on  the  subject.  Sir 
George,  I  regret  we  had  not  the  honor  of  your  company  on  the 
occasion,  for  I  have  been  told  these  Arabs  have  a  proper  respect 
for  the  nobility  and  gentry.  Mr.  Dodge  and  myself  were  but 
poor  substitutes  for  a  gentleman  like  yourself." 

The  trained  humility  of  Mr.  Monday  was  little  to  the  liking 
of  Mr.  Dodge,  who  by  the  sheer  force  of  the  workings  of  envy 
had  so  long  been  endeavoring  to  persuade  others  that  he  was 
the  equal  of  any  and  every  other  man — a  delusion,  however,  in 
which  he  could  not  succeed  in  persuading  himself  to  fall  into — 
and  he  was  not  slow  in  exhibiting  the  feeling  it  awakened. 

"  Sir  George  Templemore  has  too  just  a  sense  of  the  rights 
of  nations  to  make  this  distinction,  Mr.  Monday,"  he  said.  "  If 
I  left  the  Arab  sheik  a  little  abruptly,  it  was  because  I  disliked 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  303 

his  ways ;  for  I  take  it  Africa  is  a  free  country,  and  that  no 
man  is  obliged  to  remain  longer  in  a  tent  than  it  suits  his  own 
convenience.  Captain  Truck  knows  that  I  was  merely  running 
down  the  beach  to  inform  him  that  the  sheik  intended  to  follow, 
and  he  no  doubt  appreciates  my  motive." 

"  If  not,  Mr.  Dodge,"  put  in  the  captain,  "  like  other  patriots, 
you  must  trust  to  posterity  to  do  you  justice.  The  joints  and 
sinews  are  so  differently  constructed  in  different  men,  that  one 
never  knows  exactly  how  to  calculate  on  speed ;  but  this  much 
I  will  make  affidavit  to,  if  you  wish  it,  on  reaching  home,  and 
that  is,  that  a  better  messenger  could  not  be  found  than  Mr. 
Steadfast  Dodge,  for  a  man  in  a  hurry.  Sir  George  Temple- 
more,  we  have  had  but  a  few  of  your  opinions  since  you  came 
out  on  this  expedition,  and  I  should  be  gratified  to  hear  your 
sentiments  concerning  the  Arabs,  and  any  thing  else  that  may 
suggest  itself  at  the  moment." 

"  Oh,  captain  !  I  think  the  wretches  odiously  dirty,  and 
judging  from  appearances,  I  should  say  sadly  deficient  in  com 
forts." 

"  In  the  way  of  breeches  in  particular  ;  for  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  Sir  George,  you  are  master  of  more  than  are  to  be  found 
in  their  whole  nation.  Well,  gentlemen,  one  must  certainly 
travel  who  wishes  to  see  the  world ;  but  for  this  sheer  down 
here  upon  the  coast  of  Africa,  neither  of  us  might  have  ever 
known  how  an  Arab  lives,  and  what  a  nimble  wrecker  he 
makes.  For  my  own  part,  if  the  choice  lay  between  filling  the 
office  of  Jemmy  Ducks,  on  board  the  Montauk,  and  that  of 
sheik  in  this  tribe,  I  should,  as  we  say  in  America,  Mr.  Dodge, 
leave  it  to  the  people,  and  do  all  in  iny  power  to  obtain  the 
first  situation.  Sir  George,  I'm  afraid  all  these  county  tongues, 
as  Mr.  Dodge  calls  them,  in  the  way  of  wind  and  weather,  will 
quite  knock  the  buffalo  hunt  on  the  prairies  in  the  head,  for 
this  fall  at  least." 

"  I  beg,  Captain  Truck,  you  will  not  discredit  my  French  in 
this  way.  I  do  not  call  a  disappointment  '  county  tongues]  but 


304  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

'  contra  toms  /'  the  phrase  probably  coming  from  some  person 
of  the  name  of  torn,  who  was  contra,  or  opposed  to  every  one 
else." 

"  Perfectly  explained,  and  as  clear  as  bilge-water.  Sir  George, 
has  Mr.  Dodge  mentioned  to  you  the  manner  in  which  these 
Arabs  enjoy  life  ?  The  gentlemen,  by  way  of  saving  dish 
water,  eat  half-a-dozen  at  a  time  out  of  the  same  plate.  Quite 
republican,  and  altogether  without  pride,  Mr.  Dodge,  in  their 
notions." 

"Why,  sir,  many  of  their  habits  struck  me  as  being  simple 
and  praiseworthy,  during  the  short  time  I  remained  in  their 
country ;  and  I  dare  say,  one  who  had  leisure  to  study  them 
might  find  materials  for  admiration.  I  can  readily  imagine 
situations  in  which  a  man  has  no  right  to  appropriate  a  whole 
dish  to  himself." 

"  No  doubt,  and  he  who  wishes  a  thing  so  unreasonable  must 
be  a  great  hog.  What  a  thing  is  sleep !  Here  are  these  fine 
fellows  as  much  lost  to  their  dangers  and  toils  as  if  at  home, 
and  tucked  in  by  their  careful  and  pious  mothers.  Little  did 
the  good  souls  who  nursed  them,  and  sung  pious  songs  over 
their  cradles,  fancy  the  hardships  they  were  bringing  them  up 
to !  But  we  never  know  our  fates,  or  miserable  dogs  most  of 
us  would  be.  Is  it  not  so,  Sir  George  ?" 

The  baronet  started  at  this  appeal,  which  crossed  the  quaint 
mind  of  the  captain  as  a  cloud  darkens  a  sunny  view,  and  he 
muttered  a  hasty  expression  of  hope  that  there  was  now  no 
particular  reason  to  expect  any  more  serious  obstacles  to  their 
reaching  the  ship. 

"It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  tow  a  heavy  raft  in  light  boats 
like  these,  exactly  in  the  direction  you  wish  it  to  go,"  returned 
the  captain,  gaping.  "  He  who  trusts  to  the  winds  and  waves, 
trusts  an  uncertain  friend,  and  one  who  may  fail  him  at  the 
very  moment  when  there  is  most  need  of  their  services.  Fair 
as  things  now  seem,  I  would  give  a  thousand  dollars  of  a  small 
stock,  in  which  no  single  dollar  has  been  lightly  earned,  to  see 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  305 

these  spars  safely  on  board  the  Montauk,  and  snugly  fitted  to 
their  proper  places.  Sticks,  gentlemen,  are  to  a  ship  what 
limbs  are  to  a  man.-  Without  them  she  rolls  and  tumbles 
about  as  winds,  currents,  and  seas  will ;  while  with  them  she 
walks,  and  dances,  arid  jumps  Jim  Crow ;  ay,  almost  talks. 
The  standing  rigging  are  the  bones  and  gristle;  the  running 
gear  the  veins  in  which  her  life  circulates;  and  the  blocks  the 
joints." 

"  And  which  is  the  heart  ?"  asked  Sir  George. 

"  Her  heart  is  the  master.  With  a  sufficient  commander  no 
stout  ship  is  ever  lost,  so  long  as  she  has  a  foot  of  water  beneath 
her  false  keel,  or  a  ropeyarn  left  to  turn  to  account." 

"  And  yet  the  Dane  had  all  these." 

"  All  but  the  water.  The  best  craft  that  was  ever  launched, 
is  of  less  use  than  a  single  camel,  if  laid  high  and  dry  on  the 
sands  of  Africa.  These  poor  wretches  truly !  And  yet  their 
fate  might  have  been  ours,  though  I  thought  little  of  the  risk 
while  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  Arabs.  It  is  still  a  mystery 
to  me  why  they  let  us  escape,  especially  as  they  so  soon  desert 
ed  the  wreck.  They  were  strong-handed,  too ;  counting  all 
who  came  and  went,  I  think  not  less  than  several  hundreds." 

The  captain  now  became  silent  and  thoughtful,  and,  as  the 
wind  continued  to  rise,  he  began  to  feel  uneasiness  about  his 
ship.  Once  or  twice  he  expressed  a  half-formed  determination 
to  pull  to  her  in  one  of  the  light  boats,  in  order  to  look  after 
her  safety  in  person,  and  then  he  abandoned  it,  as  he  witnessed 
the  rising  of  the  sea,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  massive  raft 
caused  the  cordage  by  which  it  was  held  to  strain.  At  length 
he  too  fell  asleep,  and  we  shall  leave  him  and  his  party  for 
a  while,  and  return  to  the  Montauk,  to  give  an  account  of  what 
occurred  on  board  that  ship. 


306  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

"Nothing  beside  remains!    Bound  the  decay 
Of  that  colossal  wreck,  boundless  and  bare, 
The  lone  and  level  sands  stretch  far  away." 

SHELLEY. 

As  Captain  Truck  was  so  fully  aware  of  the  importance  of 
rapid  movements  to  the  success  of  his  enterprise,  it  will  be  re 
membered  that  he  left  in  the  ship  no  seaman,  no  servant,  ex 
cept  Saunders  the  steward,  and,  in  short,  no  men  but  the  two 
Messrs.  Effingham,  Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Blunt,  and  the  other  per 
son  just  mentioned.  If  to  these  be  added,  Eve  Effing-ham, 
Mademoiselle  Viefville,  Ann  Sidley,  and  a  French  femme  de 
chambre,  the  whole  party  will  be  enumerated.  At  first,  it  had 
been  the  intention  of  the  master  to  leave  one  of  his  mates 
behind  him,  but,  encouraged  by  the  secure  berth  he  had  found 
for  his  vessel,  the  great  strength  of  his  moorings,  the  little 
hold  the  winds  and  waves  could  get  of  spars  so  robbed  of  their 
proportions,  and  of  a  hull  so  protected  by  the  reef,  and  feeling 
a  certain  confidence  in  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Blunt,  who, 
several  times  during  the  passage,  had  betrayed  a  great  famili 
arity  with  ships,  he  came  to  the  decision  named,  and  had  for 
mally  placed  the  last-named  gentleman  in  full  charge,  ad  interim, 
of  the  Montauk. 

There  was  a  solemn  and  exciting  interest  in  the  situation  of 
those  who  remained  in  the  vessel,  after  the  party  of  bustling 
seamen  had  left  them.  The  night  came  in  bland  and  tranquil, 
and  although  there  was  no  moon,  they  walked  the  deck  for 
hours  with  strange  sensations  of  enjoyment,  mingled  with  those 
of  loneliness  and  desertion.  Mr.  Effinghara  and  his  cousin 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  307 

retired  to  their  rooms  long  before  the  others,  who  continued 
their  exercise  with  a  freedom  and  an  absence  of  restraint,  that 
they  had  not  before  felt,  since  subjected  to  the  confinement  of 
the  ship. 

"  Our  situation  is  at  least  novel,"  Eve  observed,  "  for  a  party 
of  Parisians,  Viennois,  Romans,  or  by  whatever  name  we  may 
be  properly  styled.*' 

"  Say  Swiss,  then,"  returned  Mr.  Blunt ;  "  for  I  believe 
that  even  the  cosmopolite  has  a  claim  to  choose  his  favorite 
residence." 

Eve  understood  the  allusion,  which  carried  her  back  to  the 
weeks  they  had  passed  in  company,  among  the  grand  scenery 
of  the  Alps  ;  but  she  would  not  betray  the  consciousness,  for, 
whatever  may  be  the  ingenuousness  of  a  female,  she  seldom 
loses  her  sensitiveness  on  the  subject  of  her  more  cherished 
feelings. 

"  And  do  you  prefer  Switzerland  to  all  the  other  countries  of 
your  acquaintance  ?"  asked  Mr.  Sharp  :  "  England  I  leave  out 
of  the  question,  for,  though  we,  who  belong  to  the  island,  see 
so  many  charms  in  it,  it  must  be  conceded  that  strangers  sel 
dom  join  us  very  heartily  in  its  praises.  I  think  most  travellers 
would  give  the  palm  to  Italy." 

u  I  am  quite  of  the  same  opinion,"  returned  the  other ;  "  and 
were  I  to  be  confined  to  a  choice  of  a  residence  for  life,  Italy 
should  be  my  home.  Still,  I  think,  that  we  like  change  in  our 
residence,  as  well  as  in  the  seasons.  Italy  is  summer,  and  one, 
I  fear,  would  weary  of  even  an  eternal  June." 

"  Is  not  Italy  rather  autumn,  a  country  in  which  the  harvest 
is  gathered,  and  where  one  begins  already  to  see  the  fall  of  the 
leaf?" 

"  To  me,"  said  Eve,  "  it  would  be  an  eternal  summer ;  as 
things  are  eternal  with  young  ladies.  My  ignorance  would  be 
always  receiving  instruction,  and  my  tastes  improvement.  But, 
if  Italy  be  summer,  or  autumn,  what  is  poor  America  ?" 

"  Spring  of  course,"  civilly  answered  Mr.  Sharp. 


308  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  And,  do  you,  Mr.  Blunt,  who  seem  to  know  all  parts  of  the 
world  equally  well,  agree  in  giving  our  country,  my  country  at 
least,  this  encouraging  title  ?" 

"  It  is  merited  in  many  respects,  though  there  are  others  in 
which  the  term  winter  would,  perhaps,  be  better  applied.  Ameri 
ca  is  a  country  not  easily  understood  ;  for,  in  some  particulars, 
like  Minerva,  it  has  been  born  full-grown ;  while,  in  others,  it  is 
Certainly  still  an  infant." 

u  In  what  particulars  do  you  especially  class  it  with  the  latter?" 
inquired  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  In  strength,  to  commence,"  answered  the  other,  slightly 
smiling ;  "  in  opinions,  too,  and  in  tastes,  and  perhaps  in  knowl 
edge.  As  to  the  latter  essential,  however,  and  practical  things 
as  well  as  in  the  commoner  comforts,  America  may  well  claim 
to  be  in  midsummer,  when  compared  with  other  nations.  I 
do  not  think  you  Americans,  Miss  Effingham,  at  the  head  of 
civilization,  certainly,  as  so  many  of  your  own  people  fancy ; 
nor  yet  at  the  bottom,  as  so  many  of  those  of  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  and  Mr.  Sharp  so  piously  believe." 

"  And  what  are  the  notions  of  the  countrymen  of  Mr.  Blunt, 
on  the  subject  ?" 

"  As  far  from  the  truth,  perhaps,  as  any  other.  I  perceive 
there  exist  some  doubts  as  to  the  place  of  my  nativity,"  he 
added,  after  a  pause  that  denoted  a  hesitation,  which  all  hoped 
was  to  end  in  his  setting  the  matter  at  rest,  by  a  simple  state 
ment  of  the  fact ;  "  and  I  believe  I  shall  profit  by  the  circum 
stance,  to  praise  and  condemn  at  pleasure,  since  no  one  can 
impeach  my  candor,  or  impute  either  to  partialities  or  pre 
judices." 

"  That  must  depend  on  the  justice  of  your  judgments.  In 
one  thing,  however,  you  will  have  me  on  your  side,  and  that  is 
in  giving  the  past  to  delicious,  dreamy  Italy !  Though  Made 
moiselle  Viefville  will  set  this  down  as  Use  majcste  against  cher 
Paris  ;  and  I  fear,  Mr.  Sharp  will  think  even  London  injured." 

"  Do  you  really  hold  London  so  cheap  ?"  inquired  the  latter 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  309 

gentleman,  with  more  interest  than  he  himself  was  quite  aware 
of  betraying. 

"  Indeed,  no.  This  would  be  to  discredit  my  own  tastes  and 
knowledge.  In  a  hundred  things,  I  think  London  quite  the 
finest  town  of  Christendom.  It  is  not  Rome,  certainly,  and 
were  it  in  ruins  fifteen  centuries,  I  question  if  people  would 
flock  to  the  banks  of  the  Thames  to  dream  away  existence 
among  its  crumbling  walls ;  but,  in  conveniences,  beauty  of 
verdure,  a  mixture  of  park-like  scenery  and  architecture,  and 
in  magnificence  of  a  certain  sort,  one  would  hardly  know  where 
to  go  to  find  the  equal  of  London." 

"  You  say  nothing  of  its  society,  Miss  Effingham  ?" 

"  It  would  be  presuming,  in  a  girl  of  my  limited  experience 
to  speak  of  this.  I  hear  so  much  of  the  good  sense  of  the  na 
tion,  that  I  dare  not  say  aught  against  its  society,  and  it  would 
be  affectation  for  me  to  pretend  to  commend  it ;  but  as  for  your 
females,  judging  by  my  own  poor  means,  they  strike  me  as  be 
ing  singularly  well  cultivated  and  accomplished ;  and  yet — 

"  Go  on,  I  entreat  you.  Recollect  we  have  solemnly  decided 
in  a  general  congress  of  states  to  be  cosmopolites,  until  safe 
within  Sandy  Hook,  and  that  la  franchise  is  the  mot  cfordre" 

"  Well,  then,  I  should  not  certainly  describe  you  English  as 
a  talking  people,"  continued  Eve,  laughing.  "  In  the  way  of 
society,  you  are  quite  as  agreeable  as  a  people,  who  never  laugh 
and  seldom  speak,  can  possibly  make  themselves." 

"  JEt  les  jeunes  Amgricaines  ?"  said  Mademoiselle  Viefville, 
laconically. 

"  My  dear  mademoiselle,  your  question  is  terrific !  Mr.  Blunt 
has  informed  me  that  they  actually  giggle  !" 

"  Quelle  horreur  /" 

"  It  is  bad  enough,  certainly ;  but  I  ascribe  the  report  to 
calumny.  No ;  if  I  must  speak,  let  me  have  Paris  for  its  so 
ciety,  and  Naples  for  its  nature.  As  respects  New  York,  Mr. 
Blunt,  I  suspend  my  judgment." 

"  Whatever  may  be  the  particular  merit  which  shall  most 


310  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

attract  your  admiration  in  favor  of  the  great  emporium,  as  the 
grandiloquent  writers  term  the  capital  of  your  own  State,  I  think 
I  can  venture  to  predict  it  will  be  neither  of  those  just  men 
tioned.  Of  society,  indeed,  New  York  has  positively  none : 
like  London,  it  has  plenty  of  company,  which  is  disciplined 
something  like  a  regiment  of  militia  composed  of  drafts  from 
different  brigades,  and  which  sometimes  mistakes  the  drum- 
major  for  the  colonel." 

"I  had  fancied  you  a  New  Yorker,  until  now,"  observed  Mr. 
Sharp. 

"  And  why  not  now  ?  Is  a  man  to  be  blind  to  facts  as  evi 
dent  as  the  noon-day  sun,  because  he  was  born  here  or  there  ?  If 
I  have  told  you  an  unpleasant  truth,  Miss  Effingham,  you  must 
accuse  la  franchise  of  the  offence.  I  believe  you  are  not  a 
Manhattanese  ?" 

"I  am  a  mountaineer;  having  been  born  at  my  father's 
country  residence." 

"  This  gives  me  courage,  then>  for  no  one  here  will  have  his 
filial  piety  shocked." 

"Not  even  yourself?" 

"  As  for  myself,"  returned  Paul  Blunt,  "  it  is  settled  I  am  a 
cosmopolite  in  fact,  while  you  are  only  a  cosmopolite  by  con 
vention.  Indeed,  I  question  if  I  might  take  the  same  liberties 
with  either  Paris  or  London,  that  I  am  about  to  take  with 
palmy  Manhattan.  I  should  have  little  confidence  in  the  for 
bearance  of  my  auditors ;  Mademoiselle  Viefville  would  hardly 
forgive  me,  were  I  to  attempt  a  criticism  on  the  first,  for  in 
stance." 

"  West  impossible  !  you  could  not,  Monsieur  Blunt ;  vous  par- 
lez  trop  bien  Francais  not  to  love  Paris" 

"  I  do  love  Paris,  mademoiselle ;  and  what  is  more,  I  love 
LondreSj  or  even  la  Nouvelle  Yorck.  As  a  cosmopolite,  I  claim 
this  privilege,  at  least,  though  I  can  see  defects  in  all.  If  you 
will  recollect,  Miss  Effingham,  that  New  York  is  a  social 
bivouac,  a  place  in  which  families  encamp  instead  of  troops,  you 


HOME  "WARD     BOUND.  311 

will  see  the  impossibility  of  its  possessing  a  graceful,  well- 
ordered,  and  cultivated  society.  Then  the  town  is  commercial ; 
and  no  place  of  mere  commerce  can  well  have  a  reputation  for 
its  society.  Such  an  anomaly,  I  believe,  never  existed.  What 
ever  may  be  the  usefulness  of  trade,  I  fancy  few  will  contend 
that  it  is  very  graceful." 

"  Florence  of  old  ?"  said  Eve. 

"  Florence  and  her  commerce  were  peculiar,  and  the  relations 
of  things  change  with  circumstances.  When  Florence  was 
great,  trade  was  a  monopoly,  in  a  few  hands,  and  so  conducted 
as  to  remove  the  principals  from  immediate  contact  with  its 
affairs.  The  Medici  traded  in  spices  and  silks,  as  men  traded 
in  politics,  through  agents.  They  probably  never  saw  their 
ships,  or  had  any  further  connection  with  their  commerce,  than 
to  direct  its  spirit.  They  were  more  like  the  legislator  who 
enacts  laws  to  regulate  trade,  than  the  dealer  who  fingers  a 
sample,  smells  at  a  wine,  or  nibbles  a  grain.  The  Medici  were 
merchants,  a  class  of  men  altogether  different  from  the  mere 
factors,  who  buy  of  one  to  sell  to  another,  at  a  stated  advance 
in  price,  and  all  of  whose  enterprise  consists  in  extending  the 
list  of  safe  customers,  and  of  doing  what  is  called  a  '  regular 
business.'  Monopolies  do  harm  on  the  whole,  but  they  cer 
tainly  elevate  the  favored  few.  The  Medici  and  the  Strozzi 
were  both  princes  and  merchants,  while  those  around  them 
were  principally  dependents.  Competition,  in  our  day,  has  let 
in  thousands  to  share  in  the  benefits ;  and  the  pursuit,  while  it 
is  enlarged  as  a  whole,  has  suffered  in  its  parts  by  division." 

"  You  surely  do  not  complain  that  a  thousand  are  comforta 
ble  and  respectable  to-day,  for  one  that  was  il  magnifico  three 
hundred  years  since  ?" 

"  Certainly  not.  I  rejoice  in  the  change ;  but  we  must  not 
confound  names  with  things.  If  we  have  a  thousand  mere  fac 
tors  for  one  merchant,  society,  in  the  general  signification  of 
the  word,  is  clearly  a  gainer ;  but  if  we  had  one  Medici  for  a 
thousand  factors,  society,  in  its  particular  signification,  might 


312  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

also  be  a  gainer.  All  I  mean  is,  that,  in  lowering  the  pursuit, 
we  have  necessarily  lowered  its  qualifications ;  in  other  words, 
every  man  in  trade  in  New  York,  is  no  more  ,1  Lorenzo,  than 
every  printer's  devil  is  a  Franklin." 

"  Mr.  Blunt  cannot  be  an  American  !"  cried  Mr.  Sharp ;  "  for 
these  opinions  would  be  heresy." 

"JamaiSijamais"  joined  the  governess. 

"  You  constantly  forget  the  treaty  of  cosmopolitism.  But  a 
capita]  error  is  abroad  concerning  America  on  this  very  subject 
of  commerce.  In  the  way  of  merchandise  alone,  there  is  not  a 
Christian  maritime  nation  of  any  extent,  that  has  a  smaller 
portion  of  its  population  engaged  in  trade  of  this  sort,  than  the 
United  States  of  America.  The  nation,  as  a  nation,  is  agricul 
tural,  though  the  state  of  transition,  in  which  a  country  in  the 
course  of  rapid  settlement  must  always  exist,  causes  more  buy 
ing  and  selling  of  real  property  than  is  usual.  Apart  from  this 
peculiarity,  the  Americans,  as  a  whole  people,  have  not  the 
common  European  proportions  of  ordinary  dealers." 

"  This  is  not  the  prevalent  opinion,"  said  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  It  is  not,  and  the  reason  is,  that  all  American  towns,  or 
nearly  all  that  are  at  all  known  in  other  countries,  are  purely 
commercial  towns.  The  trading  portion  of  a  community  is 
always  the  concentrated  portion,  too ;  and  of  course,  in  the  ab 
sence  of  a  court,  of  a  political,  or  of  a  social  capital,  it  has  the 
greatest  power  to  make  itself  heard  and  felt,  until  there  is  a 
direct  appeal  to  the  other  classes.  The  elections  commonly 
show  quite  as  little  sympathy  between  the  majority  and  the 
commercial  class  as  is  consistent  with  the  public  welfare.  In 
point  of  fact,  America  has  but  a  very  small  class  of  real  mer 
chants,  men  who  are  the  cause  and  not  a  consequence  of  com 
merce,  though  she  has  exceeding  activity  in  the  way  of  ordinary 
traffic.  The  portion  of  her  people  who  are  engaged  as  factors 
— for  this  is  the  true  calling  of  the  man  who  is  a  regular  agent 
between  the  common  producer  and  the  common  consumer — 
are  of  a  high  class  as  factors,  but  not  of  the  high  class  of  mer- 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  313 

chants.  The  man  who  orders  a  piece  of  silk  to  be  manufactured 
at  Lyons,  at  three  francs  a  yard,  to  sell  it  in  the  regular  course 
of  the  season  to  the  retailer  at  three  francs  and  a  half,  is  no 
more  a  true  merchant  than  the  attorney,  who  goes  through  the 
prescribed  forms  of  the  court  in  his  pleadings,  is  a  barrister." 

"I  do  not  think  these  sentiments  will  be  very  popular  at 
home,  as  Mr.  Dodge  says,"  Eve  laughingly  remarked  ;  "  but 
when  shall  we  reach  that  home  ?  While  we  are  talking  of 
these  things,  here  arc  we,  in  an  almost  deserted  ship,  within  a 
mile  of  the  great  Desert  of  Sahara  !  How  beautiful  are  the 
stars,  mademoiselle  !  we  have  never  before  seen  a  vault  so 
studded  with  brilliants." 

"  That  must  be  owing  to  the  latitude,"  Mr.  Sharp  observed. 

"  Certainly.  Can  any  one  say  in  what  latitude  we  are  pre 
cisely  ?"  As  Eve  asked  this  question,  she  unconsciously  turned 
towards  Mr.  Blunt ;  for  the  whole  party  had  silently  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  he  knew  more  of  ships  and  navigation  than 
all  of  them  united. 

"  I  believe  we  are  not  far  from  twenty-four,  which  is  bring 
ing  us  near  the  tropics,  and  places  us  quite  sixteen  degrees  to 
the  southward  of  our  port.  These  two  affairs  of  the  chase  and 
of  the  gale  have  driven  us  fully  twelve  hundred  miles  from  the 
course  we  ought  to  have  taken." 

"  Fortunately,  mademoiselle,  there  are  none  to  feel  apprehen 
sions  on  our  account,  or  none  whose  interest  will  be  so  keen  as 
to  create  a  very  lively  distress.  I  hope,  gentlemen,  you  are 
equally  at  ease  on  this  score  ?" 

This  wras  the  first  time  Eve  had  ever  trusted  herself  to  put 
an  interrogatory  that  might  draw7  from  Paul  Blunt  any  com 
munication  that  would  directly  touch  upon  his  connections. 
She  repented  of  the  speech  as  soon  as  made,  but  causelessly,  as 
it  drew  from  the  young  man  no  answer.  Mr.  Sharp  observed 
that  his  friends  in  England  could  scarcely  know  of  their  situa 
tion,  until  his  own  letters  would  arrive  to  relieve  their  minds. 
As  for  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  the  hard  fortune  which  reduced 

14 


314  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D. 

her  to  the  office  of  a  governess,  had  almost  left  her  without 
natural  ties. 

"  I  believe  we  are  to  have  watch  and  ward  to-night,"  resumed 
Eve,  after  the  general  pause  had  continued  some  little  time. 
"  Is  it  not  possible  for  the  elements  to  put  us  in  the  same  pre 
dicament  as  that  in  which  we  found  the  poor  Dane?" 

"Possible,  certainly,  but  scarcely  probable,"  returned  Mr. 
Blunt.  "  The  ship  is  well  moored,  and  this  narrow  ledge  of 
rocks,  between  us  and  the  ocean,  serves  admirably  for  a  break 
water.  One  would  not  like  to  be  stranded,  helpless  as  we  are 
at  this  moment,  on  a  coast  like  this !" 

"Why  so  particularly  helpless?  You  allude  to  the  absence 
of  our  crew  ?" 

"  To  that,  and  to  the  fact  that,  I  believe,  we  could  not  mus 
ter  as  much  as  a  pocket-pistol  to  defend  ourselves  with,  every 
thing  in  the  shape  of  firearms  having  been  sent  with  the  party 
in  the  boats." 

"  Might  we  not  lie  on  the  beach,  here,  for  days,  even  weeks," 
inquired  Mr.  Sharp,  "without  being  discovered  by  the  Arabs?" 

"  I  fear  not.  Mariners  have  told  me  that  the  barbarians 
hover  along  the  shores,  especially  after  gales,  in  the  hope  of 
meeting  with  wrecks,  and  it  is  surprising  how  soon  they  gain 
intelligence  of  any  disaster.  It  is  seldom  there  is  even  an  op 
portunity  to  escape  in  a  boat." 

*'  I  hope  here,  at  least,  we  are  safe  ?"  cried  Eve,  in  a  littlo 
terror,  and  shuddering,  as  much  in  playfulness  as  in  real  alarm. 

"  I  see  no  grounds  of  concern  where  we  are,  so  long  as  we 
can  keep  the  ship  off  the  shore.  The  Arabs  have  no  boats,  and 
if  they  had,  they  would  not  dare  to  attack  a  vessel  that  floated, 
in  one,  unless  aware  of  her  being  as  truly  helpless  as  we  happen 
at  this  moment  to  be." 

"  This  is  a  chilling  consolation,  but  I  shall  trust  in  your  good 
care,  gentlemen.  Mademoiselle,  it  is  drawing  near  midnight,  I 
believe." 

Eve  and   her  companion  then  courteously  wished  the  two 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  315 

young  men  good-night,  and  ^retired  to  their  staterooms  ;  Mr. 
Sharp  remained  an  hour  longer  with  Mr.  Blunt,  who  had  un 
dertaken  to  watch  the  first  few  hours,  conversing  with  a  light 
heart  and  gaily ;  for,  though  there  was  a  secret  consciousness 
of  rivalry  between  these  two  young  men  on  the  subject  of  Eve's 
favor,  it  was  a  generous  and  manly  competition,  in  which  each 
did  the  other  ample  justice.  They  talked  of  their  travels,  their 
views  of  customs  and  nations,  their  adventures  in  different 
countries,  and  of  the  pleasure  each  had  felt  in  visiting  spots  re 
nowned  by  association  or  the  arts ;  but  not  a  word  was  haz 
arded  by  either  concerning  the  young  creature  who  had  just 
left  them,  and  whom  each  still  saw  in  his  mind's  eye,  long  after 
her  light  and  graceful  form  had  disappeared.  At  length  Mr. 
Sharp  went  below,  his  companion  insisting  on  being  left  alone, 
under  the  penalty  of  remaining  up  himself  during  the  second 
watch.  From  this  time,  for  several  hours,  there  was  no  other 
noise  in  the  ship  than  the  tread  of  the  solitary  watchman.  At 
the  appointed  period  of  the  night,  a  change  took  place,  and  he 
who  had  watched,  slept;  while  he  who  had  slept,  watched. 
Just  as  day  dawned,  however,  Paul  Blunt,  who  was  in  a  deep 
sleep,  felt  a  shake  at  his  shoulder. 

"Pardon  me,"  cautiously  whispered  Mr.  Sharp:  "I  fear  we 
are  about  to  have  a  most  unpleasant  interruption  to  our  solitude." 

"  Heavenly  powers ! — Not  the  Arabs  ?" 

"  I  fear  no  less :  but  it  is  still  too  dark  to  be  certain  of  the 
fact.  If  you  will  rise,  we  can  consult  on  the  situation  in  which 
we  are  placed.  I  beg  you  to  be  quick." 

Paul  Blunt  had  hastily  risen  on  an  arm,  and  he  now  passed 
a  hand  over  his  brow,  as  if  to  make  certain  that  he  was  awake. 
He  had  not  undressed  himself,  and  in  another  moment  he  stood 
on  his  feet  in  the  middle  of  the  stateroom. 

"  This  is  too  serious  to  allow  of  mistake.  We  will  not  alarm 
her,  then ;  we  will  not  give  any  alarm,  sir,  until  certain  of  the 
calamity." 

"  In  that  I  entirely  agree  with  you,"  returned  Mr.  Sharp,  who 


316  II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  . 

was  perfectly  calm,  though  evidently  distressed.  "  I  may  be  mis 
taken,  and  wish  your  opinion.  All  on  board  but  us  two  are  in 
a  profound  sleep." 

The  other  drew  on  his  coat,  and  in  a  minute  both  were  on 
deck.  The  day  had  not  yet  dawned,  and  the  light  was  scarce 
sufficient  to  distinguish  objects  even  near  as  those  on  the  reef, 
particularly  when  they  were  stationary.  The  rocks  themselves, 
however,  were  visible  in  places,  for  the  tide  was  out,  and  most 
of  the  upper  portion  of  the  ledge  was  bare.  The  two  gentle 
men  moved  cautiously  to  the  bows  of  the  vessel,  and,  concealed 
by  the  bulwarks,  Mr.  Sharp  pointed  out  to  his  companion  the 
objects  that  had  given  him  the  alarm. 

"  Do  you  see  the  pointed  rock  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  spot 
where  the  kedge  is  placed?"  he  said,  pointing  in  the  direction 
that  he  meant.  "  It  is  now  naked,  and  I  am  quite  certain  there 
was  an  object  on  it,  when  I  went  below,  that  has  since  moved 
away." 

"It  may  have  been  a  sea-bird ;  for  we  are  so  near  the  day, 
some  of  them  are  probably  in  motion.  Was  it  large  ?'' 

"Of  the  size  of  a  man's  head,  apparently;  but  this  is  by  no 
means  all.  Here,  farther  to  the  north,  I  distinguished  three 
objects  in  motion,  wading  in  the  water,  near  the  point  where 
the  rocks  are  never  bare." 

"They  may  have  been  herons;  the  bird  is  often  found  in 
these  low  latitudes,  I  believe.  I  can  discover  nothing." 

"  I  would  to  God,  I  may  have  been  mistaken,  though  I  do 
not  think  I  could  be  so  much  deceived." 

Paul  Blunt  caught  his  arm,  and  held  it  like  one  who  listened 
intently. 

"Heard  you  that?"  he  whispered  hurriedly. 

"It  sounded  like  the  clanking  of  iron." 

"  Looking  around,  the  other  found  a  handspike,  and  passing 
swiftly  up  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  he  stood  between  the  knight- 
heads.  Here  he  bent  forward,  and  looked  intently  towards  the 
lines  of  chains  which  lay  over  the  bulwarks,  as  bow-fasts.  Of 


BOM  E  WARD     BOUND.  317 

these  chains  the  parts  led  quite  near  each  other,  in  parallel 
lines,  and  as  the  ship's  moorings  were  taut,  they  were  hanging 
in  merely  a  slight  curve.  From  the  rocks,  or  the  place  where 
the  kedges  were  laid  to  a  point  within  thirty  feet  of  the  ship, 
these  chains  were  dotted  with  living  beings  crawling  cautiously 
upward.  It  was  even  easy,  at  a  second  look,  to  perceive  that 
they  were  men  stealthily  advancing  on  their  hands  and  feet. 

Raising  the  handspike,  Mr.  Blunt  struck  the  chains  several 
violent  blows.  The  effect  was  to  cause  the  whole  of  the  Arabs 
— for  it  could  be  no  others — suddenly  to  cease  advancing,  and 
to  seat  themselves  astride  the  chains. 

"  This  is  fearful,"  said  Mr.  Sharp;  "but  we  must  die  rather 
than  permit  them  to  reach  the  ship." 

"  We  must.  Stand  you  here,  and  if  they  advance,  strike  the 
chains.  There  is  not  an  instant  to  lose." 

Paul  Blunt  spoke  hurriedly,  and,  giving  the  other  the  hand 
spike,  he  ran  down  to  the  bitts,  and  commenced  loosening  the 
chains  from  their  fastenings.  The  Arabs  heard  the  clanking  of 
the  iron  rings,  as  he  threw  coil  after  coil  on  the  deck,  and  they 
did  not  advance.  Presently  two  parts  yielded  together  beneath 
them,  and  then  two  more.  These  were  the  signals  for  a  com 
mon  retreat,  and  Mr.  Sharp  now  plainly  counted  fifteen  hu 
man  forms  as  they  scrambled  back  towards  the  reef,  some  hanging 
by  their  arms,  some  half  in  the  water,  and  others  lying  along  the 
chains,  as  best  they  might.  Mr.  Blunt  having  loosened  the 
chains,  so  as  to  let  their  bights  fall  into  the  sea,  the  ship  slowly 
drifted  astern,  and  rode  by  her  cables.  When  this  was  done, 
the  two  young  men  stood  together  in  silence  on  the  forecastle, 
as  if  each  felt  that  all  which  had  just  occurred  was  some  illusion. 

"  This  is  indeed  terrible,"  exclaimed  Paul  Blunt.  "  We  have 
not  even  a  pistol  left !  No  means  of  defence — nothing  but  this 
narrow  belt  of  water  between  us  and  these  barbarians!  No 
doubt,  too,  they  have  firearms ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  is  light,  they 
will  render  it  unsafe  to  remain  on  deck." 

Mr.  Sharp  took  the  hand  of  his  companion  and  pressed  it 


318  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

fervently.  "  God  bless  you !"  he  said  in  a  stifled  voice.  "God 
bless  you  for  even  this  brief  delay.  But  for  this  happy  thought 
of  yours,  Miss  Effingham — the  others — we  should  all  have  been 
by  this  time  at  the  mercy  of  these  remorseless  wretches.  This 
is  not  a  moment  for  false  pride  or  pitiful  deceptions.  I  think 
either  of  us  would  willingly  die  to  rescue  that  beautiful  and  in 
nocent  creature  from  a  fate  like  this  which  threatens  her  in 
common  with  ourselves !" 

"  Cheerfully  would  I  lay  down  my  life  to  be  assured  that  she 
was,  at  this  instant,  safe  in  a  civilized  and  Christian  country." 

These  generous  young  men  squeezed  each  other's  hands,  and 
at  that  moment  no  feeling  of  rivalry,  or  of  competition  even, 
entered  the  heart  of  either.  Both  were  influenced  by  a  pure 
and  ardent  desire  to  serve  the  woman  they  loved  ;  and  it  would 
be  true  to  say,  that  scarce  a  thought  of  any  but  Eve  was  upper 
most  in  their  minds.  Indeed  so  engrossing  was  their  common 
care  in  her  behalf,  so  much  more  terrible  than  that  of  any  other 
person  did  her  fate  appear  on  being  captured,  that  they  forgot, 
for  the  moment,  there  were  others  in  the  ship,  and  others,  too, 
who  might  be  serviceable  in  arresting  the  very  calamity  they 
dreaded. 

"  They  may  not  be  a  strong  party,"  said  Paul  Blunt,  after  a 
little  thought ;  "  in  which  case,  failing  of  a  surprise,  they  may  not 
be  able  to  muster  a  force  sufficient  to  hazard  an  open  attack 
until  the  return  of  the  boats.  We  have,  God  be  praised !  es 
caped  being  seized  in  our  sleep,  and  made  unconscious  victims 
of  so  cruel  a  fate.  Fifteen  or  twenty  will  scarcely  dare  attempt 
a  ship  of  this  size,  without  a  perfect  knowledge  of  our  feeble 
ness,  and  particularly  of  our  want  of  arms.  There  is  a  light 
gun  on  board,  and  it  is  loaded ;  with  this,  too,  we  may  hold 
them  at  bay,  by  not  betraying  our  weakness.  Let  us  awake  the 
others,  for  this  is  not  a  moment  for  sleep.  We  are  safe  at  least 
for  an  hour  or  two ;  since,  without  boats,  they  cannot  possibly 
find  the  means  to  board  us  in  less  than  that  time." 

The  two  young  men  went  below,  unconsciously  treading 


11  O  M  E  W  A  It  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  319 

lightly,  like  those  who  moved  about  in  the  presence  of  an  im 
pending  danger.  Paul  Blunt  was  in  advance,  and,  to  his  great 
surprise,  he  met  Eve  at  the  door  of  the  ladies'  cabin,  apparently 
waiting  their  approach.  She  was  dressed,  for  apprehension,  and 
the  novelty  of  their  situation,  had  caused  her  to  sleep  in  most 
of  her  clothes,  and  a  few  moments  had  sufficed  for  a  hasty  ad 
justment  of  the  toilet.  Miss  Effingham  was  pale,  but  a  concen 
tration  of  all  her  energies  seemed  to  prevent  the  exhibition  of 
any  womanly  terror. 

"Something  is  wrono-!"  she  said,  trembling  in  spite  of  her- 

O  O  O  1 

self,  and  laying  her  hand  unwittingly  on  the  arm  of  Paul  Blunt : 
*•  I  heard  the  heavy  fall  of  iron  on  the  deck." 

"  Compose  yourself,  dearest  Miss  Effingham,  compose  your 
self,  I  entreat  you.  I  mean,  that  we  have  come  to  awaken  the 
gentlemen." 

"Tell  me  the  worst,  Powis,  I  implore  you.  I  am  equal, — 1 
think  I  am  equal,  to  hearing  it." 

"  I  fear  your  imagination  has  exaggerated  the  danger." 

"  The  coast  ?" 

"  Of  that  there  is  no  cause  for  apprehension.  The  sea  is  calm, 
and  our  fasts  are  perfectly  good." 

"  The  boats  ?" 

"Will  doubtless  be  back  in  good  time." 

"Surely — surely,"  said  Eve,  recoiling  a  step,  as  if  she  saw  a 
monster,  "  not  the  Arabs  2" 

"They  cannot  enter  the  ship,  though  a  few  of  them  are 
hovering  about  us.  But  for  the  vigilance  of  Mr.  Sharp,  indeed, 
wre  might  have  all  been  captured  in  our  sleep.  As  it  is,  we 
have  warning,  and  there  is  now  little  doubt  of  our  being  able 
to  intimidate  the  few  barbarians  who  have  shown  themselves, 
until  Captain  Truck  shall  return." 

"  Then  from  my  soul,  I  thank  you,  Sir  George  Templemore, 
and  for  this  good  office  will  you  receive  the  thanks  of  a  father, 
and  the  prayers  of  all  whom  you  have  so  signally  served." 

"  Nay,  Miss  Effingham,  although  I  find  this  interest  in  me  so 


320  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

grateful  that  I  have  hardly  the  heart  to  lessen  your  gratitude, 
truth  compels  me  to  give  it  a  juster  direction.  But  for  the 
promptitude  of  Mr.  Blunt — or  as  I  now  find  I  ought  to  address 
him,  Mr.  Powis — we  should  truly  have  all  been  lost." 

"  "We  will  not  dispute  about  your  merits,  gentlemen.  You 
have  both  deserved  our  most  heartfelt  thanks,  and  if  you  will 
awaken  my  father  and  Mr.  John  Effing-ham,  I  will  arouse  Made 
moiselle  Viefville  and  my  own  woman.  Surely,  surely,  this  is 
no  time  to  sleep  !" 

The  summons  was  given  at  the  stateroom  doors,  and  the  two 
young  men  returned  to  the  deck,  for  they  felt  it  was  not  safe  to 
leave  it  long  at  such  a  moment.  All  was  quite  tranquil  above, 
however,  nor  could  the  utmost  scrutiny  now  detect  the  presence 
of  any  person  on  the  reef. 

"  The  rocks  are  cut  off  from  the  shore,  farther  to  the  south 
ward  by  deeper  water,"  said  Paul  Blunt — for  we  shall  continue 
to  call  both  gentlemen,  except  on  particular  occasions,  by  their 
noms  de  guerre — "  and  when  the  tide  is  up  the  place  cannot  be 
forded.  Of  this  the  Arabs  are  probably  aware ;  and  haviog 
failed  in  their  first  attempt,  they  will  probably  retire  to  the  beach 
as  the  water  is  rising,  for  they  might  not  like  to  be  left  on  the 
riband  of  rock  that  will  remain  in  the  face  of  the  force  that 
would  be  likely  to  be  found  in  such  a  vessel." 

"  May  they  not  be  acquainted  with  the  absence  of  most  of 
our  people,  and  be  bent  upon  seizing  the  vessel  before  they  can 
return  ?" 

"That  indeed  is  the  gloomy  side  of  the  conjecture,  and  it 
may  possibly  be  too  true ;  but  as  the  day  is  beginning  to  break, 
we  shall  soon  learn  the  worst,  and  any  thing  is  better  than  vague 
distrust." 

For  some  time  the  two  gentlemen  paced  the  quarter-deck  to 
gether  in  silence.  Mr.  Sharp  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"The  emotions  natural  to  such  an  alarm,"  he  said,  "  have 
caused  Miss  Effingham  to  betray  an  incognito  of  mine,  that 
I  fear  you  find  sufficiently  absurd.  It  was  quite  acciden- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  321 

tal,  I  do  assure  you ;  as  much  so,  perhaps,  as  it  was  motive 
less." 

"Except  as  you  might  distrust  American  democracy,"  re 
turned  Paul,  smiling,  "  and  feel  disposed  to  propitiate  it  by  a 
temporary  sacrifice  of  rank  and  title." 

"  I  declare  you  do  me  injustice.  My  man,  whose  name  is 
Sharp,  had  taken  the  stateroom,  and,  finding  myself  addressed 
by  his  appellation,  I  had  the  weakness  to  adopt  it,  under  the 
impression  it  might  be  convenient  in  a  packet.  Had  I  antici 
pated,  in  the  least,  meeting  with  the  Effing-hams,  I  should  riot 
have  been  guilty  of  the  folly,  for  Mr.  and  Miss  Effingharn  are  old 
acquaintances." 

"  While  you  are  thus  apologizing  for  a  venial  offence,  you 
forget  it  is  to  a  man  guilty  of  the  same  error.  I  knew  your 
person,  from  having  seen  you  on  the  Continent ;  and  finding 
you  disposed  to  go  by  the  homely  name  of  Sharp,  in  a  moment 
of  thoughtlessness,  I  took  its  counterpart,  Blunt.  A  travelling 
name  is  sometimes  convenient,  though  sooner  or  later  I  fancy  all 
deceptions  bring  with  them  their  own  punishments." 

"  It  is  certain  that  falsehood  requires  to  be  supported  by 
falsehood.  Having  commenced  in  untruth,  would  it  not  be  ex 
pedient  to  persevere  until  we  reach  America?  I,  at  least,  can 
not  now  assert  a  right  to  my  proper  name,  without  deposing  a 
usurper !" 

"  It  will  be  expedient  for  you,  certainly,  if  it  be  only  to  escape 
the  homage  of  that  double-distilled  democrat,  Mr.  Dodge.  As 
for  myself,  few  care  enough  about  me  to  render  it  a  matter  of 
moment  how  I  am  styled  ;  though,  on  the  whole,  I  should 
prefer  to  let  things  stand  as  they  are,  for  reasons  I  cannot  \vell 
explain." 

No  more  was  said  on  the  subject,  though  both  understood 
that  the  old  appellations  were  to  be  temporarily  continued. 
Just  as  this  brief  dialogue  ended,  the  rest  of  the  party  appeared 
on  deck.  All  preserved  a  forced  calmness,  though  the  pale 
ness  of  the  ladies  betrayed  the  intense  anxiety  they  felt.  Eve 

1 1* 


322  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

struo-o-led  with  her  fears  on  account  of  her  father,  who  had 

OO 

trembled  so  violently,  when  the  truth  was  first  told  him,  as  to 
be  quite  unmanned,  but  who  now  comported  himself  with  dig 
nity,  though  oppressed  with  apprehension  almost  to  anguish. 
John  Effingharn  was  stern,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  his  first  sen 
sations  he  had  muttered  a  few  imprecations  on  his  own  folly,  in 
Buffering  himself  to  be  thus  caught  without  arms.  Once  the 
terrible  idea  of  the  necessity  of  sacrificing  Eve,  in  the  last 
resort,  as  an  expedient  preferable  to  captivity,  had  flashed 
across  his  mind  ;  but  the  real  tenderness  he  felt  for  her,  and  his 
better  nature,  soon  banished  the  unnatural  thought.  Still, 
when  he  joined  the  party  on  deck,  it  was  with  a  general  but 
vague  impression,  that  the  moment  was  at  hand  when  circum 
stances  had  required  that  they  were  all  to  die  together.  No 
one  was  more  seemingly  collected  than  Mademoiselle  Yief- 
ville.  Her  life  had  been  one  of  sacrifices,  and  she  had  now 
made  up  her  mind  that  it  was  to  pass  away  in  a  scene  of  vio 
lence  ;  and,  with  a  species  of  heroism  that  is  national,  her  feel 
ings  had  been  aroused  to  a  sort  of  Roman  firmness,  and  she 
was  prepared  to  meet  her  fate  with  a  composure  equal  to  that 
of  the  men. 

These  were  the  first  feelings  and  impressions  of  those  who 
had  been  awakened  from  the  security  of  the  night,  to  hear  the 
tale  of  their  danger ;  but  they  lessened  as  the  party  collected 
in  the  open  air,  and  began  to  examine  into  their  situation  by 
means  of  the  steadily  increasing  light.  As  the  day  advanced, 
Paul  Blunt,  in  particular,  carefully  examined  the  rocks  near  the 
ship,  even  ascending  to  the  foretop,  from  which  elevation  he 
overlooked  the  whole  line  of  the  reef;  and  something  like  hope 
revived  in  every  bosom,  when  he  proclaimed  the  joyful  intelli 
gence  that  nothing  having  life  was  visible  in  that  direction. 

"  God  be  praised  !"  he  said  with  fervor,  as  his  foot  touched 
the  deck  again  on  descending ;  "  we  have  at  least  a  respite 
from  the  attacks  of  these  barbarians.  The  tide  has  risen  so 
high  that  they  dare  not  stay  on  the  rocks,  lest  they  might  be 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  323 

cut  off ;  for  they  probably  think  us  stronger  than  we  are,  and 
armed.  The  light  gun  on  the  forecastle  is  loaded,  gentlemen, 
though  not  shotted  ;  for  there  are  no  shot  in  the  vessel,  Saun- 
ders  tells  me  ;  and  I  would  suggest  the  propriety  of  firing  it, 
both  to  alarm  the  Arabs,  and  as  a  signal  to  our  friends.  The 
distance  from  the  wreck  is  not  so  great  but  it  might  be  heard, 
and  I  think  they  would  at  least  send  a  boat  to  our  relief.  Sound 
flies  fast,  and  a  short  time  may  bring  us  succor.  The  water  will 
not  be  low  enough  for  our  enemies  to  venture  on  the  reef  again, 
under  six  or  eight  hours,  and  all  may  yet  be  well." 

This  proposal  was  discussed,  and  it  proving,  on  inquiry,  that 
all  the  powder  in  the  ship,  after  loading  the  gun  for  this  very 
purpose  of  firing  a  signal,  had  been  taken  in  the  boats,  and 
that  no  second  discharge  could  be  made,  it  was  decided  to  lose 
no  more  time,  but  to  let  their  danger  be  known  to  their  friends 
at  once,  if  it  were  possible  to  send  the  sound  so  far.  When 
this  decision  was  come  to,  Mr.  Blunt,  aided  by  Mr.  Sharp,  made 
the  necessary  preparations  without  delay.  The  latter,  though 
doing  all  he  could  to  assist,  envied  the  readiness,  practical  skill, 
and  intelligence,  with  which  his  companion,  a  man  of  cultivated 
and  polished  mind  in  higher  things,  performed  every  requisite 
act  that  was  necessary  to  effect  their  purpose.  Instead  of 
hastily  discharging  the  piece,  an  iron  four-pound  gun,  Mr. 
Blunt  first  doubled  the  wad,  which  he  drove  home  with  all  his 
force,  and  then  he  greased  the  muzzle,  as  he  said,  to  increase 
the  report. 

u  I  shall  not  attempt  to  explain  the  philosophy  of  this,"  he 
added  with  a  mournful  smile,  "but  all  lovers  of  salutes  and 
salvos  will  maintain  that  it  is  useful ;  and  be  it  so  or  not,  too 
much  depends  on  our  making  ourselves  heard,  to  neglect  any 
thing  that  has  even  a  chance  of  aiding  that  one  great  object. 
If  you  will  now  assist  me,  Sir  George,  we  will  run  the  gun  over 
to  starboard,  in  order  that  it  may  be  fired  on  the  side  next  the 
wreck." 

"Judging  from  the  readiness  you  have  shown  on  several  oc- 


324  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

casions,  as  well  as  your  familiarity  with  the  terms,  I  should 
think  you  had  served,"  returned  the  real  baronet,  as  he  helped 
his  companion  to  place  the  gun  at  a  port  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  vessel. 

"  You  have  not  mistaken  my  trade.  I  was  certainly  bred, 
almost  born,  a  seaman ;  and  though  as  a  traveller  I  have  now 
been  many  years  severed  from  my  early  habits,  little  of  what  I 
knew  has  been  lost.  Were  there  five  others  here,  who  had  as 
much  familiarity  as  myself  with  vessels,  I  think  we  could  carry 
the  ship  outside  the  reef,  crippled  as  she  is,  and  set  the  Arabs 
at  defiance.  Would  to  God  our  worthy  captain  had  never 
brought  her  inside!" 

"He  did  all  for  the  best,  no  doubt." 

"Beyond  a  question;  and  no  more  than  a  commendable 
prudence  required.  Still  he  has  left  us  in  a  most  critical  posi 
tion.  This  priming  is  a  little  damp,  and  I  distrust  it.  The 
coal,  if  you  please." 

"  Why  do  you  not  fire  ?" 

"  At  the  last  moment,  I  almost  repent  of  my  own  expedient. 
Is  it  quite  certain  no  pistols  remain  among  any  of  our  effects  ?" 

"I  fear  not.  Saunders  reports  that  all,  even  to  those  of  the 
smallest  size,  were  put  in  requisition  for  the  boats." 

"  The  charge  in  this  gun  might  serve  for  many  pistols,  or  for 
several  fowling-pieces.  I  might  even  sweep  the  reef,  on  an 
emergency,  by  using  old  iron  for  shot !  It  appears  like  parting 
with  a  last  friend,  to  part  with  this  single  precious  charge  of 
gunpowder." 

"  Nay,  you  certainly  know  best ;  though  I  rather  think  the 
Messrs.  Efrlngham  are  of  your  first  opinion." 

"It  is  puerile  to  waver  on  such  a  subject,  and  I  will  hesitate 
no  longer.  There  are  moments  when  the  air  seems  to  float  in 
the  direction  of  our  friends;  on  the  first  return  of  one  of  those 
currents,  I  will  fire." 

A  minute  brought  the  opportunity,  and  Paul  Blunt,  or  Paul 
Powis,  as  his  real  name  would  now  appear  to  be,  applied  the 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  325 

coal.  The  report  was  sharp  arid  lively ;  but  as  the  smoke 
floated  away,  he  again  expressed  his  doubts  of  the  wisdom  of 
what  had  just  been  done.  Had  he  then  known  that  the  strug 
gling  sounds  had  diffused  themselves  in  their  radii,  without 
reaching  the  wreck,  his  regrets  would  have  been  increased 
fourfold.  This  was  a  fact,  however,  that  could  not  be  then 
ascertained,  and  those  in  the  packet  were  compelled  to  wait 
two  or  three  hours  before  they  even  got  the  certainty  of  their 
failure. 

As  the  light  increased,  a  view  was  obtained  of  the  shore, 
which  seemed  as  silent  and  deserted  as  the  reef.  For  half  an 
hour  the  whole  party  experienced  the  revulsion  of  feeling  that 
accompanies  all  great  changes  of  emotion,  and  the  conversation 
had  even  got  to  be  again  cheerful,  and  to  turn  into  its  former 
channels,  when  suddenly  a  cry  from  Saunders  renewed  the 
alarm.  The  steward  was  preparing  the  breakfast  in  the  galley, 
from  which  he  gave  occasional  glances  towards  the  land,  and 
his  quick  eye  had  been  the  first  to  detect  a  new  and  still  more 
serious  danger  that  now  menaced  them. 

A  long  train  of  camels  was  visible,  travelling  across  the 
desert,  and  holding  its  way  towards  the  part  of  the  reef  which 
touched  the  shore.  At  this  point,  too,  were  now  to  be  seen 
some  twenty  Arabs,  waiting  the  arrival  of  their  friends  ;  among 
whom,  it  was  fair  to  conclude,  were  those  who  had  attempted 
to  carry  the  ship  by  surprise.  As  the  events  which  next  fol 
lowed  were  closely  connected  with  the  policy  and  forbearance 
of  the  party  of  barbarians  near  the  wreck,  this  will  be  a  suit 
able  occasion  to  explain  the  motives  of  the  latter,  in  not  assail 
ing  Captain  Truck,  and  the  real  state  of  things  among  these 
children  of  the  desert. 

The  Dane  had  been  driven  ashore,  as  conjectured,  in  the 
last  gale,  and  the  crew  had  immediately  been  captured  by  a 
small  wandering  party  of  the  Arabs,  with  whom  the  coast  was 
then  lined ;  as  is  usually  the  case  immediately  after  tempestu 
ous  weather.  Unable  to  carry  off  much  of  the  cargo,  this 


326  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

party  had  secured  the  prisoners,  and  hurried  inland  to  au 
oasis,  to  give  the  important  intelligence  to  their  friends  ;  leaving 
scouts  on  the  shore,  however,  that  they  might  be  early  apprised 
of  any  similar  disaster,  or  of  any  change  in  the  situation  of 
their  present  prize.  These  scouts  had  discovered  the  Montauk, 
drifting  along  the  coast,  dismasted  and  crippled,  and  they  had 
watched  her  to  her  anchorage  within  the  reef.  The  departure 
of  her  boats  had  been  witnessed,  and  though  unable  to  foresee 
the  whole  object  of  this  expedition,  the  direction  taken  pointed 
out  the  wreck  as  the  point  of  destination.  All  this,  of  course, 
had  been  communicated  to  the  chief  men  of  the  different  par 
ties  on  the  coast,  of  which  there  were  several,  who  had  agreed 
to  unite  their  forces  to  secure  the  second  ship,  and  then  to  di 
vide  the  spoils. 

When  the  Arabs  reached  the  coast  near  the  wreck  that  morn 
ing,  the  elders  among  them  were  not  slow  in  comprehending 
the  motives  of  the  expedition ;  and  having  gained  a  pretty  ac 
curate  idea  of  the  number  of  men  employed  about  the  Dane, 
they  had  come  to  the  just  conclusion  that  few  were  left  in  the 
vessel  at  anchor.  They  had  carried  off  the  spyglass  of  their 
prize,  too,  and  several  among  them  knew  its  use,  from  having 
seen  similar  things  in  other  stranded  ships.  By  means  of  this 
glass,  they  discovered  the  number  and  quality  of  those  on 
board  the  Montauk,  as  soon  as  there  was  sufficient  light,  and 
directed  their  own  operations  accordingly.  The  parties  that 
had  appeared  and  disappeared  behind  the  sandy  ridges  of  the 
desert,  about  the  time  at  which  we  have  now  arrived  in  the 
narrative,  and  those  who  have  been  already  mentioned  in  a 
previous  chapter,  were  those  who  came  from  the  interior,  and 
those  who  went  in  the  direction  of  the  reef;  the  first  of  the 
latter  of  which  Saunders  had  just  discovered.  Owing  to  the 
rounded  formation  of  the  coast,  and  to  the  intervention  of  a 
headland,  the  distance  by  water  between  the  two  ships  was 
quite  double  that  by  land  between  the  two  encampments,  and 
those  who  now  arrived  abreast  of  the  packet,  deliberately  pitched 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  327 

their  tents,  as  if  they  depended  more  on  a  display  of  their  num 
bers  for  success  than  on  concealment,  and  as  if  they  felt  no  ap 
prehension  of  the  return  of  the  crew. 

When  the  gentlemen  had  taken  a  survey  of  this  strong 
party,  which  numbered  more  than  a  hundred,  they  held  a  con 
sultation  of  the  course  it  would  be  necessary  to  pursue.  To 
Paul  Blunt,  as  an  avowed  seaman,  and  as  one  who  had  already 
shown  the  promptitude  and  efficiency  of  his  resources,  all  eyes 
were  turned  in  expectation  of  an  opinion. 

"  So  long  as  the  tide  keeps  in,"  this  gentleman  observed,  "  I 
see  no  cause  for  apprehensions.  We  are  beyond  the  roach  of 
musketry ;  or  at  all  events,  any  fire  of  the  Arabs,  at  this  dis 
tance,  must  be  uncertain  and  harmless,  and  we  have  always 
the  hope  of  the  arrival  of  the  boats.  Should  this  fail  us,  and 
the  tide  fall  this  afternoon  as  low  as  it  fell  in  the  morning, 
our  situation  will  indeed  become  critical.  The  water  around 
the  ship  may  possibly  serve  as  a  temporary  protection,  but  the 
distance  to  the  reef  is  so  small  that  it  might  be  passed  by 
swimming." 

"  Surely  we  could  make  good  the  vessel  against  men  raising 
themselves  out  of  the  water,  and  clambering  up  a  vessel's  side  ?" 
said  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  It  is  probable  we  might,  if  unmolested  from  the  shore.  But, 
imagine  twenty  or  thirty  resolute  swimmers  to  put  oft'  together 
for  different  parts  of  the  vessel,  protected  by  the  long  muskets 
these  Arabs  carry,  and  you  will  easily  conceive  the  hopelessness 
of  any  defence.  The  first  man  among  us,  who  should  show  his 
person  to  meet  the  boarders,  would  be  shot  down  like  a  dog." 

"  It  was  a  cruel  oversight  to  expose  us  to  this  horrible  fate !" 
exclaimed  the  appalled  father. 

"  This  is  easier  seen  now  than  when  the  mistake  was  com 
mitted,"  observed  John  Effingham.  "As  a  seaman,  and  with 
his  important  object  in  view,  Captain  Truck  acted  for  the  best, 
and  we  should  acquit  him  of  all  blame,  let  the  result  be  what 
it  may.  Regrets  are  useless,  and  it  remains  for  us  to  devise 


328  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

some  means  to  arrest  the  clanger  by  which  we  are  menaced, 
before  it  be  too  lute.  Mr.  Blunt,  you  must  be  our  leader  and 
counsellor  :  is  it  not  possible  for  us  to  carry  the  ship  outside 
of  the  reef,  and  to  anchor  her  beyond  the  danger  of  our  being 
boarded  ?" 

"  I  have  thought  of  this  expedient,  and  if  we  had  a  boat  it 
might  possibly  be  done,  in  this  mild  weather;  without  a  boat, 
it  is  impossible." 

"  But  we  have  a  boat,"  glancing  his  eye  towards  the  launch 
that  stood  in  the  chocks  or  chucks. 

"  One  that  would  be  too  unwieldy  for  our  purposes,  could  it 
be  got  into  the  water;  a  thing  in  itself  that  would  be  almost 
impracticable  for  us  to  achieve." 

A  long  silence  succeeded,  during  which  the  gentlemen  were 
occupied  in  the  bootless  effort  of  endeavoring  to  devise  expe 
dients  to  escape  the  Arabs ;  bootless,  because  on  such  occa 
sions,  the  successful  measure  is  commonly  the  result  of  a  sort 
of  sudden  inspiration,  rather  than  of  continued  and  laborious 
thought. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  329 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

"  With  religious  awe 

Grief  heard  the  voice  of  Virtue.    No  complaint 
The  solemn  silence  broke.    Tears  ceased  to  flow." 

GLOVER. 

HOPE  is  the  most  treacherous  of  all  human  fancies.  So  long- 
as  there  is  a  plausible  ground  to  expect  relief  from  any  partic 
ular  quarter,  men  will  relax  their  exertions  in  the  face  of  the 
most  imminent  danger,  and  they  cling  to  their  expectations 
long  after  reason  has  begun  to  place  the  chances  of  success  on 
the  adverse  side  of  the  scale.  Thus  it  was  with  the  party  in 
the  Montauk.  Two  or  three  precious  hours  were  lost  in  the 
idle  belief  that  the  gun  would  be  heard  by  Captain  Truck,  and 
that  they  might  momentarily  look  for  the  appearance  of,  at 
least,  one  of  the  boats. 

Paul  Blunt  was  the  first  to  relinquish  this  delusion.  He 
knew  that,  if  it  reached  their  friends  at  all,  the  report  must 
have  been  heard  in  a  few  seconds,  and  he  knew,  also,  that  it 
peculiarly  belonged  to  the  profession  of  a  seaman  to  come  to 
quick  decisions.  An  hour  of  smart  rowing  would  bring  the 
cutter  from  the  wreck  to  the  headland,  where  it  would  be 
visible,  by  means  of  a  glass,  from  the  foretop.  Two  hours  had 
now  passed  away  and  no  signs  of  any  boat  were  to  be  dis 
covered,  and  the  young  man  felt  reluctantly  compelled  to  yield 
all  the  strong  hopes  of  timely  aid  that  he  had  anticipated  from 
this  quarter.  John  Effingham,  who  had  much  more  energy  of 
character  than  his  kinsman,  though  not  more  personal  fortitude 
and  firmness,  was  watching  the  movements  of  their  young 


030  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

leader,  and  lie  read  the  severe  disappointment  in  his  face,  as  he 
descended  the  last  time  from  the  top,  where  he  had  often  been 
since  the  consultation,  to  look  out  for  the  expected  succor. 

"  I  see  it  in  your  countenance,"  said  that  gentleman  ;  "  we 
have  nothing  to  look  for  from  the  boats.  Our  signal  has  not 
been  heard." 

"There  is  no  hope,  and  we  are  now  thrown  altogether  on 
our  own  exertions,  aided  by  the  kind  providence  of  God." 

"  This  calamity  is  so  sudden  and  so  dire,  that  I  can  scarcely 
credit  it !  Are  we  then  truly  in  danger  of  becoming  prisoners 
to  barbarians  ?  Is  Eve  Effingham,  the  beautiful,  innocent,  good, 
angelic  daughter  of  my  cousin,  to  be  their  victim ! — perhaps 
the  inmate  of  a  seraglio  !" 

"  There  is  the  pang  !  Had  I  a  thousand  bodies,  a  thousand 
lives,  I  could  give  all  of  the  first  to  unmitigated  suffering,  lay 
down  all  the  last  to  avert  so  shocking  a  calamity.  Do  you 
think  the  ladies  are  sensible  of  their  real  situation  ?" 

"They  are  uneasy  rather  than  terrified.  In  common  with 
us  all,  they  have  strong  hopes  from  the  boats,  though  the  con 
tinued  arrival  of  the  barbarians,  who  are  constantly  coming 
into  their  camp,  has  helped  to  render  them  a  little  more  con 
scious  of  the  true  nature  of  the  danger." 

Here  Mr.  Sharp,  who  stood  on  the  hurricane-house,  called 
out  for  the  glass,  in  order  to  ascertain  what  a  party  of  the 
Arabs,  who  were  collected  near  the  in-shore  end  of  the  reef, 
were  about.  Paul  Blunt  went  up  to  him,  and  made  the  ex 
amination.  His  countenance  fell  as  he  gazed,  and  an  expres 
sion  like  that  of  hopelessness  was  again  apparent  on  his  fine 
features,  when  he  lowered  the  glass. 

"  Here  is  some  new  cause  of  uneasiness  !" 

u  The  wretches  have  got  a  number  of  spars,  and  are  lashing 
them  together  to  form  a  raft.  They  are  bent  on  our  capture, 
and  I  see  no  means  of  preventing  it." 

"  Were  we  alone,  men  only,  we  might  have  the  bitter  con 
solation  of  selling  our  lives  dearly;  but  it  is  terrible  to  have 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  331 

those  with  us  whom  we  can  neither  save  nor  yet  devote  to  a 
common  destruction  with  our  enemies  !" 

"It  is  indeed  terrible,  and  the  helplessness  of  our  situation 
adds  to  its  misery." 

"  Can  we  not  offer  terms  ? — Might  not  a  promise  of  ransom, 
with  hostages,  do  something?  I  would  cheerfully  remain  in 
the  hands  of  the  barbarians,  in  order  to  effect  the  release  of  the 
rest  of  the  party." 

Mr.  Blunt  grasped  his  hand,  and  for  a  moment  he  envied  the 
other  the  generous  thought.  But  smiling  bitterly,  he  shook 
his  head,  as  if  conscious  of  the  futility  of  even  this  desperate 
self-devotion. 

"  Gladly  would  I  be  your  companion ;  but  the  project  is,  in 
every  sense,  impracticable.  Ransom  they  might  consent  to 
receive  with  us  all  in  their  power,  but  not  on  the  condition  of 
our  being  permitted  to  depart.  Indeed,  no  means  of  quitting 
them  would  be  left ;  for,  once  in  possession  of  the  ship,  as  in  a 
few  hours  they  must  be,  Captain  Truck,  though  having  the 
boats,  will  be  obliged  to  surrender  for  want  of  food,  or  to  run 
the  frightful  hazard  of  attempting  to  reach  the  islands,  on  an 
allowance  scarcely  sufficient  to  sustain  life  under  the  most  favor 
able  circumstances.  These  flint-hearted  monsters  are  surround 
ed  by  the  desolation  of  their  desert,  and  they  are  aware  of  all 
their  appalling  advantages." 

"  The  real  state  of  things  ought  to  be  communicated  to  our 
friends,  in  order  that  they  may  be  prepared  for  the  worst." 

To  this  Mr.  Blunt  agreed,  and  they  went  together  to  inform 
John  Effingham  of  the  new  discovery.  This  stern-minded  man 
was,  in  a  manner,  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  he  now  agreed 
on  the  melancholy  propriety  of  letting  his  kinsman  know  the 
actual  nature  of  the  new  danger  that  threatened  them. 

"  I  will  undertake  this  unpleasant  office,"  he  said,  "  though  I 
could,  in  my  inmost  soul,  pray  that  the  necessity  for  it  might 
pass  away.  Should  the  worst  arrive,  I  have  still  hopes  of  effect 
ing  something  by  means  of  a  ransom  ;  but  what  will  have  been 


332  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  fate  of  the  youthful,  and  delicate,  and  lovely,  ere  we  can 
make  ourselves  even  comprehended  by  the  barbarians  ?  A 
journey  in  the  desert,  as  these  journeys  have  been  described  to 
me,  would  be  almost  certain  death  to  all  but  the  strongest  of 
our  party,  and  even  gold  may  fail  of  its  usual  power,  when 
weighed  against  the  evil  nature  of  savages." 

"Is  there  no  hope,  then,  really  left  us?"  demanded  Mr. 
Sharp,  when  the  last  speaker  had  left  them  to  descend  to  the 
cabins.  "Is  it  not  possible  to  get  the  boat  into  the  water,  and 
to  make  our  escape  in  that  ?" 

"  That  is  an  expedient  of  which  I  have  thought,  but  it  is  next 
to  impracticable.  As  any  thing  is  better  than  capture,  how 
ever,  I  will  make  one  more  close  examination  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  demons,  and  look  nearer  into  our  own  means." 

1'aul  Blunt  now  got  a  lead  and  dropped  it  over  the  side  of 
the  ship,  in  the  almost  forlorn  hope  that  possibly  she  might  lie 
over  some  hole  on  the  bottom.  The  soundings  proved  to  be, 
as  indeed  he  expected,  but  a  little  more  than  three  fathoms. 

"  I  had  no  reason  to  expect  otherwise,"  he  said,  as  he  drew 
in  the  line,  though  he  spoke  like  a  disappointed  man.  "  Had 
there  been  sufficient  water  the  ship  might  have  been  scuttled, 
and  the  launch  would  have  floated  oft'  the  deck ;  but  as  it  is, 
we  should  lose  the  vessel  without  a  sufficient  object.  It  would 
appear  heroic  were  you  and  I  to  contrive  to  get  on  the  reef, 
and  to  proceed  to  the  shore  with  a  view  to  make  terms  with 
the  Arabs ;  but  there  could  be  no  real  use  in  it,  as  the  treachery 
of  their  character  is  too  well  established  to  look  for  any  benefit 
from  such  a  step." 

"Might  they  not  be  kept  in  play,  until  our  friends  returned  ? 
Providence  may  befriend  us  in  some  unexpected  manner  in 
our  uttermost  peril." 

"We  will  examine  them  once  more  with  the  glass.  By  a 
movement  among  the  Arabs,  there  has  probably  been  a  new 
accession  to  their  numbers." 

The  two  gentlemen  now  ascended  to  the  top  of  the  hurri- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  333 

cane-house  again,  in  feverish  haste,  and  once  more  they  applied 
the  instrument.  A  minute  of  close  study  induced  Mr.  Blunt  to 
drop  the  glass,  with  an  expression  that  denoted  increased  con 
cern. 

"  Can  any  thing  possibly  make  our  prospects  worse  ?"  eager 
ly  inquired  his  companion. 

"  Do  you  not  remember  a  flag  that  was  on  board  the  Dane 
— that  by  which  we  identified  his  nation  ?" 

"Certainly:  it  was  attached  to  the  halyards,  and  lay  on  the 
quarter-deck." 

"  That  flag  is  now  flying  in  the  camp  of  these  barbarians ! 
You  may  see  it,  here,  among  the  tents  last  pitched  by  the  party 
that  arrived  while  we  were  conversing  forward." 

"And  from  this  you  infer — 

"  That  our  people  are  captives  !  That  flag  was  in  the  ship 
when  we  left  it ;  had  the  Arabs  returned  before  our  partv  got 
there,  the  captain  would  have  been  back  long  ere  this ;  and  in 
order  to  obtain  this  ensign  they  must  have  obtained  possession 
of  the  wreck,  after  the  arrival  of  the  boats;  an  event  that  could 
scarcely  occur  without  a  struggle  :  I  fear  the  flag  is  a  proof  on 
which  side  the  victory  has  fallen." 

"  This  then  would  seem  to  consummate  our  misfortunes  !" 

"  It  does  indeed ;  for  the  faint  hope  that  existed,  of  being  re 
lieved  by  the  boats,  must  now  be  entirely  abandoned." 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  look  again,  and  see  in  what  condition 
the  wretches  have  got  their  raft !'' 

A  long  examination  followed,  foi  on  this  point  did  the  fate 
of  all  in  the  ship  now  truly  seem  to  depend. 

"  They  work  with  spirit,''  said  Mr.  Blunt,  when  his  examina 
tion  had  continued  a  long  time ;  "  but  it  seems  less  like  a  raft 
than  before — they  are  lashing  spars  together  lengthwise — here 
is  a  dawning  of  hope,  or  what  would  be  hope,  rather,  if  the 
boats  had  escaped  their  fangs  !" 

"  God  bless  you  for  the  words  ! — what  is  there  encouraging?" 

"  It  is  not  much,"  returned   Paul  Blunt,  with   a  mournful 


334  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

smile ;  "  but  trifles  become  of  account  in  moments  of  extreme 
jeopardy.  They  are  making  a  floating  stage,  doubtless  with 
the  intention  to  pass  from  the  reef  to  the  ship,  and  by  veering 
on  the  chains  we  may  possibly  drop  astern  sufficiently  to  dis 
appoint  them  in  the  length  of  their  bridge.  If  I  saw  a  hope 
of  the  final  return  of  the  boats,  this  expedient  would  not  be 
without  its  use,  particularly  if  delayed  to  the  last  moment,  as 
it  might  cause  the  Arabs  to  lose  another  tide  ;  and  a  reprieve 
of  eight  or  ten  hours  is  an  age  to  men  in  our  situation." 

Mr.  Sharp  caught  eagerly  at  this  suggestion,  and  the  young 
men  walked  the  deck  together  for  half  an  hour,  discussing  its 
chances,  and  suggesting  various  means  of  turning  it  to  the  best 
account.  Still,  both  felt  convinced  that  the  trifling  delay  which 
might  thus  be  obtained,  would,  in  the  end,  be  perfectly  useless, 
should  Captain  Truck  and  his  party  have  really  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  common  enemy.  They  were  thus  engaged,  some 
times  in  deep  despondency,  and  sometimes  buoyant  with  revived 
expectations,  when  Saunders,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Effingham, 
summoned  them  below. 

On  reaching  the  cabin,  whither  both  immediately  hastened, 
the  two  gentlemen  found  the  family  party  in  the  distress  that 
the  circumstances  would  naturally  create.  Mr.  Effingham  was 
seated,  his  daughter's  head  resting  on  a  knee,  for  she  had 
thrown  herself  on  the  carpet,  by  his  side.  Mademoiselle  Vief- 
ville  paced  the  cabin,  occasionally  stopping  to  utter  a  few  words 
of  consolation  to  her  young  charge,  and  then  again  reverting 
in  her  mind  to  the  true  dangers  of  their  situation,  with  a  force 
that  completely  undid  all  she  had  said,  by  betraying  the  extent 
of  her  own  apprehensions.  Ann  Sidley  knelt  near  her  young 
mistress,  sometimes  praying  fervently,  though  in  silence,  and  at 
other  moments  folding  her  beloved  in  her  arms,  as  if  to  protect 
her  from  the  ruffian  grasp  of  the  barbarians.  The  femme  de 
chambre  was  sobbing  in  a  stateroom,  while  John  Effingham 
leaned  with  his  arms  folded  against  a  bulkhead,  a  picture  of 
stern  submission  rather  than  of  despair.  The  whole  party  was 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  335 

now  assembled,  with  the  exception  of  the  steward,  whose  la 
mentations  throughout  the  morning  had  not  been  noiseless,  but 
who  was  left  on  deck  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Arabs. 

The  moment  was  not  one  of  idle  forms,  and  Eve  Effingham, 
who  would  have  recoiled,  under  other  circumstances,  at  being 
seen  by  her  fellow-travellers  in  her  present  situation,  scarce 
raised  her  head,  in  acknowledgment  of  their  melancholy  salute, 
as  they  entered.  She  had  been  weeping,  and  her  hair  had 
fallen  in  profusion  around  her  shoulders.  The  tears  fell  no 
longer,  but  a  warm  flushed  look,  one  which  denoted  that  a 
struggle  of  the  mind  had  gotten  the  better  of  womanly  emo 
tions,  had  succeeded  to  deadly  paleness,  and  rendered  her  love 
liness  of  feature  and  expression  bright  and  angelic.  Both  of 
the  young  men  thought  she  had  never  seemed  so  beautiful,  and 
both  felt  a  secret  pang,  as  the  conviction  forced  itself  on  them, 
at  the  same  instant,  that  this  surpassing  beauty  was  now  likely 
to  prove  her  most  dangerous  enemy. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Effingham,  with  apparent  calmness, 
and  a  dignity  that  no  uneasiness  could  disturb,  "my  kinsman 
has  acquainted  us  with  the  hopeless  nature  of  our  condition, 
and  I  have  begged  the  favor  of  this  visit  on  your  own  account. 
We  cannot  separate ;  the  ties  of  blood  and  affection  unite  us, 
and  our  fate  must  be  common ;  but,  on  you  there  is  no  such 
obligation.  Young,  bold,  and  active,  some  plan  may  suggest 
itself,  by  which  you  may  possibly  escape  the  barbarians,  and  at 
least  save  yourselves.  I  know  that  generous  temperaments  like 
yours  will  not  be  disposed  to  listen,  at  first,  to  such  a  suggestion  ; 
but  reflection  will  tell  you  that  it  is  for  the  interest  of  us  all. 
You  may  let  our  fate  be  known,  earlier  than  it  otherwise  would 
be,  to  those  who  will  take  immediate  measures  to  procure  our 
ransoms." 

"  This  is  impossible !"  Mr.  Sharp  said  firmly.  "  We  can  never 
quit  you ;  could  never  enjoy  a  moment's  peace  under  the  con 
sciousness  of  having  been  guilty  of  an  act  so  selfish  !" 

"  Mr.  Blunt  is  silent,"  continued  Mr.  Effingham,  after  a  short 


336  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

pause,  in  which  he  looked  from  one  of  the  young  men  to  the 
other.  "  He  thinks  better  of  my  proposition,  and  will  listen  to 
his  own  best  interests." 

Eve  raised  her  head  quickly,  but  without  being  conscious 
of  the  anxiety  she  betrayed,  and  gazed  with  melancholy  intent- 
ness  at  the  subject  of  this  remark. 

"  I  do  credit  to  the  generous  feelings  of  Mr.  Sharp,"  Paul 
Blunt  now  hurriedly  answered,  "  and  should  be  sorry  to  admit 
that  my  own  first  impulses  were  less  disinterested  ;  but  I  confess 
I  have  already  thought  of  this,  and  have  reflected  on  all  the 
chances  of  success  or  failure.  It  might  be  practicable  for  one 
who  can  swim  easily  to  reach  the  reef;  thence  to  cross  the 
inlet,  and  possibly  to  gain  the  shore  under  cover  of  the  opposite 
range  of  rocks,  which  are  higher  than  those  near  us  ;  after 
which,  by  following  the  coast,  one  might  communicate  with  the 
boats  by  signal,  or  even  go  quite  to  the  wreck,  if  necessary. 
All  of  this  I  have  deliberated  on,  and  once  I  had  determined  to 
propose  it ;  but — " 

"  But  what  ?"  demanded  Eve  quickly.  "  Why  not  execute 
this  plan,  and  save  yourself?  Is  it  a  reason,  because  our  case 
is  hopeless,  that  you  should  perish?  Go,  then,  at  once,  for 
the  moments  are  precious ;  an  hour  hence,  it  may  be  too 
late." 

"  Were  it  merely  to  save  myself,  Miss  Effingham,  do  you 
really  think  me  capable  of  this  baseness  ?" 

"  I  do  not  call  it  baseness.  Why  should  we  draw  you  down 
with  us  in  our  misery  ?  You  have  already  served  us,  Powis, 
in  a  situation  of  terrible  trial,  and  it  is  not  just  that  you  should 
always  devote  yourself  in  behalf  of  those  who  seem  fated  never 
to  do  you  good.  My  father  will  tell  you  he  thinks  it  your  duty 
now  to  save  yourself,  if  possible." 

"  I  think  it  the  duty  of  every  man,"  mildly  resumed  Mr. 
Effingham,  "  when  no  imperious  obligation  requires  otherwise, 
to  save  the  life  and  liberty  which  God  has  bestowed.  These 
gentlemen  have  doubtless  ties  and  claims  on  them  that  are  in- 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  337 

dependent  of  us,  and  why  should  they  inflict  a  pang  on  those 
who  love  them,  in  order  to  share  in  our  disaster  ?" 

"  This  is  placing  useless  speculations  before  a  miserable  cer 
tainty,"  observed  John  Effingham.  "  As  there  can  be  no  hope 
of  reaching  the  boats,  it  is  vain  to  discuss  the  propriety  of  the 
step." 

"  Is  tliis  true,  Powis  ?  Is  there  truly  no  chance  of  your  es 
caping  ?  You  will  not  deceive  us — deceive  yourself — on  a  vain 
point  of  empty  pride  !" 

"  I  can  say  with  truth,  almost  with  joy,  for  I  thank  God  I 
am  spared  the  conflict  of  judging  between  my  duty  and  my 
feelings,  that  there  can  no  longer  be  any  chance  of  finding  the 
wreck  in  the  possession  of  our  friends,"  returned  Paul  -fervently. 
"  There  were  moments  when  I  thought  the  attempt  should  be 
made  ;  and  it  would  perhaps  have  properly  fallen  to  my  lot  to 
be  the  adventurer ;  but  we  have  now  proof  that  the  Arabs  are 
masters ;  and  if  Captain  Truck  lias  escaped  at  all,  it  is  under 
circumstances  that  scarcely  admit  the  possibility  of  his  being 
near  the  land.  The  whole  coast  must  be  watched  and  in  pos 
session  of  the  barbarians,  and  one  passing  along  it  could  hardly 
escape  being  seen." 

"  Might  you  not  escape  into  the  interior,  notwithstanding  ?" 
asked  Eve,  impetuously. 

"  With  what  motive  ?  To  separate  myself  from  those  who 
have  been  my  fellows  in  misfortune,  only  to  die  of  want,  or  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  another  set  of  masters  ?  It  is  every  way 
our  interest  to  keep  together,  and  to  let  those  already  on  the 
coast  become  our  captors,  as  the  booty  of  two  ships  may  dispose 
them  to  be  less  exacting  with  their  prisoners." 

"  Slaves  !"  muttered  John  Effingham. 

His  cousin  bowed  his  head  over  the  delicate  form  of  Eve, 
which  he  folded  with  his  arms,  as  if  to  shield  it  from  the  blasts 
and  evils  of  the  desert. 

"As  we  may  be  separated  immediately  on  being  taken,"  re 
sumed  Paul  Blunt,  "  it  will  be  well  to  adopt  some  common 

15 


338  .HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

mode  of  acting,  and  a  uniform  account  of  ourselves,  in  order 
that  we  may  impress  the  barbarians  with  the  policy  of  carrying 
us,  as  soon  as  possible,  into  the  vicinity  of  Mogadore,  with  a 
view  to  obtaining  a  speedy  ransom." 

"  Can  any  thing  be  better  than  the  holy  truth  ?"  exclaimed 
Eve.  "  No,  no,  no  !  Let  us  not  deform  this  chastening  act  of 
God,  by  coloring  any  thought  or  word  with  deception." 

"Deception  in  our  case  will  hardly  be  needed  ;  but  by  un 
derstanding  those  facts  which  will  most  probably  influence  the 
Arabs,  we  may  dwell  the  most  on  them.  We  cannot  do  bet 
ter  than  by  impressing  on  the  minds  of  our  captors  the  circum 
stance  that  this  is  no  common  ship,  a  fact  their  own  eyes  will 
corroborate,  and  that  wre  are  not  mere  mariners,  but  passen 
gers,  who  will  be  likely  to  reward  their  forbearance  and  mod 
eration." 

"I  think,  sir,"  interrupted  Ann  Sidley,  looking  up  with  tear 
ful  eyes  from  the  spot  where  she  still  knelt,  "  that  if  these  peo 
ple  knew  how  much  Miss  Eve  is  sought  and  beloved,  they  might 
be  led  to  respect  her  as  she  deserves,  and  this  at  least  would 
'temper  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb !'  " 

"  Poor  Nanny  !"  murmured  Eve,  stretching  forth  a  hand 
towards  her  old  nurse,  though  her  face  was  still  buried  in  her 
own  hair,  u  thou  wilt  soon  learn  that  there  is  another  leveller 
besides  the  grave  !" 

"  Ma'am  I" 

*'  Thou  wilt  find  that  Eve,  in  the  hands  of  barbarians,  is  not 
thy  Eve.  It  will  now  become  my  turn  to  become  a  hand 
maiden,  and  to  perform  for  others  offices  a  thousand  times  more 
humiliating  than  any  thou  hast  ever  performed  for  me." 

Such  a  consummation  of  their  misery  had  never  struck  the 
imagination  of  the  simple-minded  Ann,  and  she  gazed  at  her 
child  with  tender  concern,  as  if  she  distrusted  her  senses. 

"This  is  too  improbable,  dear  Miss  Eve,"  she  said,  "and  you 
will  distress  your  father  by  talking  so  wildly.  The  Arabs  are 


HOME  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  3o9 

human  beings  though  they  .are  barbarians,  and  they  will  never 
dream  of  any  thing  so  wicked  as  this." 

Mademoiselle  Viefville  made  a  rapid  and  fervent  ejaculation 
in  her  own  language,  that  was  keenly  expressive  of  her  own 
sense  of  misery,  and  Ann  Sidley,  who  always  felt  uneasiness 
when  any  thing  was  said  affecting  Eve  that  she  could  not  un 
derstand,  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  as  if  she  demanded  an 
explanation. 

"  I'm  sure  mamerzelle  cannot  think  any  such  thing  likely  to 
take  place,"  she  continued,  more  positively ;  "  and,  sir,  you  at 
least  will  not  permit  Miss  Eve  to  torment  herself  with  any  no 
tions  as  unreasonable,  as  monstrous  as  this  !" 

"  We  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  my  worthy  Ann,  and  you 
may  live  to  see  all  your  fixed  ideas  of  propriety  violated," 
returned  Mr.  Effingham.  "Let  us  pray  that  we  may  not  be 
separated,  for  there  will  at  least  be  a  tender  consolation  in 
being  permitted  to  share  our  misery  in  company.  Should  we 
be  torn  asunder,  then  indeed  will  the  infliction  be  one  of  insup 
portable  agony." 

"  And  who  will  think  of  such  a  cruelty,  sir  ?  Me  they  can 
not  separate  from  Miss  Eve,  for  I  am  her  servant,  her  own  long- 
tried,  faithful  attendant,  who  first  held  her  in  arms,  and  nursed 
her  when  a  helpless  infant;  and  you  too,  sir,  you  are  her 
father,  her  own  beloved,  revered  parent ;  and  Mr.  John,  is  he 
not  her  kinsman,  of  her  blood  and  name  ?  And  even  mamer 
zelle  also  has  claims  to  remain  with  Miss  Eve,  for  she  has  taught 
her  many  things,  I  dare  say,  that  it  is  good  to  know.  Oh !  no, 
no,  no !  no  one  has  a  right  to  tear  us  asunder,  and  no  one  will 
have  the  heart  to  do  it." 

"  Nanny,  Nanny,"  murmured  Eve,  "  you  do  not,  cannot 
know  the  cruel  Arabs !" 

"  They  cannot  be  crueller  and  more  unforgiving  than  our 
own  savages,  ma'am,  and  they  keep  the  mother  with  the  child ; 
and  when  they  spare  life,  they  take  the  prisoners  into  their 


340  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

huts,  and  treat  them  as  they  treat  their  own.  God  has  caused 
so  many  of  the  wicked  to  perish  for  their  sins,  in  these  eastern 
lands,  that  I  do  not  think  a  man  can  be  left  that  is  wretch 
enough  to  harm  one  like  Miss  Eve.  Take  courage  then,  sir, 
and  put  your  trust  in  his  holy  providence.  I  know  the  trial 
is  hard  to  a  tender  father's  heart,  but  should  their  customs  re 
quire  them  to  keep  the  men  and  women  asunder,  and  to  sepa 
rate  you  from  your  daughter,  for  a  short  time,  remember  that 
I  shall  be  with  her,  as  I  was  in  her  childhood,  when,  by  the 
mercy  of  God,  we  carried  her  through  so  many  mortal  diseases 
in  safety,  and  have  got  her,  in  the  pride  of  her  youth,  without 
a  blemish  or  a  defect,  the  perfect  creature  she  is." 

"  If  the  world  had  no  other  tenants  but  such  as  you,  devoted 
and  simple-hearted  woman,  there  would  indeed  be  little  cause 
for  apprehension  ;  for  you  are  equally  unable  to  imagine  wrong 
vourself,  or  to  conceive  it  in  others.  It  would  remove  a  moun 
tain  from  my  heart,  could  I  indeed  believe  that  even  you  will 
be  permitted  to  remain  near  this  dependent  and  fragile  girl 
during  the  months  of  suffering  and  anguish  that  are  likely  to 
occur." 

"Father,"  said  Eve,  hurriedly  drying  her  eyes,  and  rising  to 
her  feet  with  a  motion  so  easy,  and  an  effort  so  slight,  that  it 
appeared  like  the  power  of  mere  volition — the  superiority  of 
the  spirit  over  her  light  frame — "father,  do  not  let  a  thought 
of  me  distress  you  at  this  awful  moment.  You  have  known 
me  only  in  happiness  and  prosperity — an  indulged  and  indolent 
girl ;  but  I  feel  a  force  which  is  capable  of  sustaining  me,  even 
in  this  blank  desert.  The  Arabs  can  have  no  other  motive 
than  to  preserve  us  all,  as  captives  likely  to  repay  their  can.1 
with  a  rich  ransom.  I  know  that  a  journey,  according  to  their 
habits,  will  be  painful  and  arduous,  but  it  may  be  borne. 
Trust,  then,  more  to  my  spirit  than  to  my  feeble  body,  and  you 
will  find  that  I  am  not  as  worthless  as  I  fear  you  fancy." 

Mr.  Effingham  passed  his  arm  around  the  slender  waist  of  his 
child,  and  folded  her  almost  frantically  to  his  bosom.  But  Eve 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  841 

was  aroused,  and,  gently  extricating  herself,  with  bright  but 
tearless  eyes,  she  looked  round  at  her  companions,  as  if  she 
would  reverse  the  order  of  their  sympathies,  and  draw  them  to 
their  own  wants  and  hazards. 

"  I  know  you  think  me  the  most  exposed  by  this  dreadful 
disaster,"  she  said  ;  "  that  I  may  not  be  able  to  bear  up  against 
the  probable  suffering,  and  that  I  shall  sink  first,  because  I  am 
the  feeblest  and  frailest  in  frame ;  but  God  permits  the  reed  to 
bend,  when  the  oak  is  destroyed.  I  am  stronger,  able  to  bear 
more  than  you  imagine,  and  we  shall  all  live  to  meet  again,  in 
happier  scenes,  should  it  be  our  present  hard  fortune  to  be 
separated." 

As  Eve  spoke,  she  cast  affectionate  looks  on  those  dear  to 
her  by  habit,  and  blood,  and  services ;  nor  did  she  permit  an 
unnecessary  reserve  at  such  a  moment  to  prevent  glances  of 
friendly  interest  towards  the  two  young  men,  whose  very  souls 
seemed  wrapped  in  her  movements.  Words  of  encouragement 
from  such  a  source,  however,  only  served  to  set  the  frightful 
truth  more  vividly  before  the  minds  of  her  auditors,  and  not 
one  of  them  heard  what  she  said  who  did  not  feel  an  awful  pre 
sentiment  that  a  few  weeks  of  the  suffering  of  which  she  made 
so  light,  did  she  even  escape  a  crueller  fate,  would  consign  that 
form,  now  so  winning  and  lovely,  to  the  sands.  Mr.  Effingham 
now  rose,  and  for  the  first  time  the  flood  of  sensations  that  had 
been  so  long  gathering  in  his  bosom,  seemed  ready  to  burst 
through  the  restraints  of  manhood.  Struggling  to  command 
himself,  he  turned  to  his  two  young  male  companions,  and 
spoke  with  an  impressiveness  and  dignity  that  carried  with 
them  a  double  force,  from  the  fact  of  his  ordinary  manners 
being  so  tempered  and  calm. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  we  may  serve  each  other,  by  coming 
to  an  understanding  in  time ;  or  at  least  you  may  confer  on 
me  a  favor  that  a  life  of  gratitude  would  not  repay.  You  are 
young  and  vigorous,  bold  and  intelligent,  qualities  that  will 
command  the  respect  of  even  savages.  The  chances  that  one 


342  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

of  you  will  survive  to  reach  a  Christian  land  are  much  greater 
than  those  of  a  man  of  my  years,  borne  down  as  I  shall  be  with 
the  never-dying  anxieties  of  a  parent." 

"Father!  father!" 

"  Hush  !  darling  :  let  me  entreat  these  gentlemen  to  bear 
us  in  mind,  should  they  reach  a  place  of  safety ;  for,  after  all, 
youth  may  do  that  in  your  behalf,  which  time  will  deny  to 
John  and  myself.  Money  will  be  of  no  account,  you  know,  to 
rescue  my  child  from  a  fate  far  worse  than  death,  and  it  may 
be  some  consolation  to  you,  young  men,  to  recollect,  at  the 
close  of  your  own  careers,  which  I  trust  will  yet  be  long  and 
happy,  that  a  parent,  in  his  last  moments,  found  a  consolation 
in  the  justifiable  hopes  he  had  placed  on  your  generous  exertions." 

"  Father,  I  cannot  bear  this !  For  you  to  be  the  victim  of 
these  barbarians  is  too  much ;  and  I  would  prefer  trusting  all 
to  a  raft  on  the  terrible  ocean,  to  incurring  the  smallest  chance 
of  such  a  calamity.  Mademoiselle,  you  will  join  me  in  the 
entreaty  to  the  gentlemen  to  prepare  a  few  planks  to  receive 
us,  where  we  can  perish  together,  and  at  least  have  the  consola 
tion  of  knowing  that  our  eyes  will  be  closed  by  friends.  The 
longest  survivor  will  be  surrounded  and  supported  by  the  spirits 
of  those  who  have  gone  before,  into  a  world  devoid  of  care." 

"  I  have  thought  this  from  the  first,"  returned  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  in  French,  with  an  energy  of  manner  that  betokened  a 
high  and  resolved  character  :  "  I  would  not  expose  gentle 
women  to  the  insults  and  outrages  of  barbarians ;  but  did  not 
wish  to  make  a  proposition  that  the  feelings  of  others  might 
reject." 

"  It  is  a  thousand  times  preferable  to  capture,  if  indeed  it  be 
practicable,"  said  John  Effingham,  looking  inquiringly  towards 
Paul.  The  latter,  however,  shook  his  head  in  the  negative,  for, 
the  wind  blowing  on  shore,  he  knew  it  would  be  merely  meet 
ing  captivity  without  the  appearance  of  a  self-reliance  and 
dignity,  that  might  serve  to  impress  their  captors  favorably. 

"It  is  impossible,"  said  Eve,   reading  the  meaning  of  the 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  .  343 

glances,  and  dropping  on  her  knees  before  Mr.  Effingham ; 
"well,  then,  may  our  trust  be  in  God!  We  have  yet  a  few 
minutes  of  liberty,  and  let  them  not  be  wasted  idly,  in  vain  re 
grets.  Father,  kiss  me,  and  give  me  once  more  that  holy  and 
cherished  blessing,  with  which  you  used  to  consign  me  to  sleep, 
in  those  days  when  we  scarce  dreamed  of,  never  realized,  mis 
fortune." 

"  Bless  you,  bless  you,  my  babe ;  my  beloved,  my  cherished 
Eve  !"  said  the  father  solemnly,  but  with  a  quivering  lip.  "  May 
that  dread  Being  whose  ways,  though  mysterious,  are  perfect 
wisdom  and  mercy,  sustain  you  in  this  trial,  and  bring  you  at 
last,  spotless  in  spirit  and  person,  to  his  own  mansions  of  peace. 
God  took  from  me  early  thy  sainted  mother,  and  I  had  impious 
ly  trusted  in  the  hope  that  thou  wert  left  to  be  my  solace  in 
age.  Bless  you,  my  Eve ;  I  shall  pray  God,  without  ceasing, 
that  thou  mayest  pass  away  as  pure  and  as  worthy  of  His  love, 
as  her  to  whom  thou  owest  thy  being." 

John  Effingham  groaned ;  the  effort  he  made  to  repress  his 
feelings  causing  the  out-breaking  of  his  soul  to  be  deep,  though 
smothered. 

"Father,  let  us  pray  together.  Ann,  my  good  Ann,  thou 
who  first  taught  me  to  lisp  a  thanksgiving  and  a  request,  kneel 
here  by  my  side — and  you,  too,  mademoiselle;  though  of  a 
different  creed,  we  have  a  common  God !  Cousin  John,  you 
pray  often,  I  know,  though  so  little  apt  to  show  your  emotions ; 
there  is  a  place  for  you,  too,  with  those  of  your  blood.  I  know 
not  whether  these  gentlemen  are  too  proud  to  pray." 

Both  the  young  men  knelt  with  the  others,  and  there  was  a 
long  pause  in  which  the  whole  party  put  up  their  supplications, 
each  according  to  his  or  her  habits  of  thought. 

"  Father !"  resumed  Eve,  looking  up  as  she  still  knelt  between 
the  knees  of  Mr.  Effingham,  and  smiling  fondly  in  the  face  of 
him  she  so  piously  loved  ;  "  there  is  one  precious  hope  of  which 
even  the  barbarians  cannot  rob  us :  we  may  be  separated  here, 
but  our  final  meeting  rests  only  with  God !" 


344  HOMEWARD      B  0  U  ND  . 

Mademoiselle  Viefville  passed  an  arm  round  the  waist  of  lier 
sweet  pupil,  and  pressed  her  against  her  heart. 

"  There  is  but  one  abode  for  the  blessed,  my  dear  mademoi 
selle,  and  one  expiation  for  us  all."  Then  rising  from  her 
knees,  Eve  said  with  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a  gentlewoman, 
"  Cousin  Jack,  kiss  me ;  we  know  not  when  another  occasion 
may  offer  to  manifest  to  each  other  our  mutual  regard.  You 
have  been  a  dear  and  an  indulgent  kinsman  to  me,  and  should 
I  live  these  twenty  years  a  slave,  I  shall  not  cease  to  think  of 
you  with  kindness  and  regret." 

John  Effingham  folded  the  beautiful  and  ardent  girl  in  his 
arms,  with  the  freedom  and  fondness  of  a  parent. 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  Eve,  with  a  deepening  color,  but 
eyes  that  were  kind  and  grateful,  "I  thank  you,  too, for  lending 
your  supplications  to  ours.  I  know  that  young  men  in  the 
pride  of  their  security,  seldom  fancy  such  a  dependence  on  God 
necessary ;  but  the  strongest  are  overturned,  and  pride  is  a 
poor  substitute  for  the  hope  of  the  meek.  I  believe  you  have 
thought  better  of  me  than  I  merit,  and  I  should  never  cease  to 
reproach  myself  with  a  want  of  consideration,  did  I  believe  that 
any  thing  more  than  accident  has  brought  you  into  this  ill-fated 
vessel.  Will  you  permit  me  to  add  one  more  obligation  to  the 
many  I  feel  to  you  both  ?"  advancing  nearer  to  them,  and  speak 
ing  lower ;  "  you  are  young,  and  likely  to  endure  bodily  ex 
posure  better  than  my  father — that  we  shall  be  separated  I  feel 
persuaded — and  it  might  be  in  your  power  to  solace  a  heart 
broken  parent. — I  see,  I  know,  I  may  depend  on  your  good 
offices." 

"Eve — my  blessed  daughter — my  only,  my  beloved  child!" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Effingham,  who  overheard  her  lowest  syllable, 
so  death-like  was  the  stillness  of  the  cabin — "  come  to  me, 
dearest ;  no  power  on  earth  shall  ever  tear  us  asunder !" 

Eve  turned  quickly,  and  beheld  the  arms  of  her  parent  ex 
tended.  She  threw  herself  into  them,  when  the  pent  and 
irresistible  emotions  broke  loose  in  both,  for  they  wept  together, 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  345 

as  she  lay  on  his  bosom,  with  a  violence  that  in  a  man  it  was 
awfully  painful  to  witness. 

Mr.  Sharp  had  advanced  to  take  the  offered  hand  of  Eve, 
when  she  suddenly  left  him  for  the  purpose  just  mentioned,  and 
he  now  felt  the  grasp  of  Paul's  fingers  on  his  arm,  as  if  they 
were  about  to  penetrate  the  bone.  Fearful  of  betraying  the 
extent  of  their  feelings,  the  two  young  men  rushed  on  deck  to 
gether,  where  they  paced  backward  and  forward  for  many 
minutes,  quite  unable  to  exchange  a  word,  or  even  a  syllable. 


346  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

"O  Doinine  Deusl  speravi  in  te, 
O  care  mi  Jesu,  nunc  libera  me  : — 
In  durft  catena, 
In  miser/i  pcena, 

Desidero  te — 
Languendo,  geinendo 
Et  genuflectendo, 
Adora,  imploro,  ut  liberes  me." 

QUEEN  MARY. 

THE  sublime  consolations  of  religion  were  little  felt  by  either 
of  the  two  generous-minded  and  ardent  young  men  who  were 
pacing  the  deck  of  the  Montauk.  The  gentle  and  the  plastic 
admit  the  most  readily  of  the  divine  influence ;  and  of  all  on 
board  the  devoted  vessel  at  that  moment,  they  who  were  the 
most  resigned  to  their  fate  were  those  who  by  their  physical 
force  were  the  least  able  to  endure  it. 

"  This  heavenly  resignation,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  half  whisper 
ing,  "is  even  more  heart-rending  than  the  out-breakings  of 
despair." 

"It  is  frightful !"  returned  his  companion.  "Anything  is 
better  than  passive  submission  in  such  circumstances.  I  see 
but  little,  indeed  no  hope  of  escape  ;  but  idleness  is  torture.  If 
I  endeavor  to  raise  this  boat,  will  you  aid  me  ?" 

"  Command  me  like  your  slave.  Would  to  Heaven  there  were 
the  faintest  prospects  of  success  !" 

"  There  is  but  little ;  and  should  we  even  succeed,  there  are 
no  means  of  getting  far  from  the  ship  in  the  launch,  as  all  the 
oars  have  been  carried  off  by  the  captain,  and  I  can  hear  of 
neither  masts  nor  sails.  Had  we  the  latter,  with  this  wind 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  347 

which  is  beginning  to  blow,  we  might  indeed  prolong  the  un 
certainty,  by  getting  on  some  of  those  more  distant  spits  of 
sand." 

"  Then,  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Maria !"'  exclaimed  one 
behind  them  in  French,  "  delay  not  an  instant,  and  all  on  board 
will  join  in  the  labor !" 

The  gentlemen  turned  in  surprise,  and  beheld  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  standing  so  near  them  as  to  have  overheard  their  con 
versation.  Accustomed  to  depend  on  herself,  coming  of  a  peo 
ple  among  whom  woman  is  more  energetic  and  useful,  perhaps, 
than  in  any  other  Christian  nation,  and  resolute  of  spirit  nat 
urally,  this  cultivated  and  generous  female  had  come  on  deck 
purposely  to  see  if  indeed  there  remained  no  means  by  which 
they  might  yet  escape  the  Arabs.  Had  her  knowledge  of  a 
vessel  at  all  equalled  her  resolution,  it  is  probable  that  many 
fruitless  expedients  would  already  have  been  adopted  ;  but  find 
ing  herself  in  a  situation  so  completely  novel  as  that  of  a  ship, 
until  now  she  had  found  no  occasion  to  suggest  any  thing  to 
which  her  companions  would  be  likely  to  lend  themselves. 
But,  seizing  the  hint  of  Paul,  she  pressed  it  on  him  with  ardor, 
and,  after  a  few  minutes  of  urging,  by  her  zeal  and  persuasion 
she  prevailed  on  the  two  gentlemen  to  commence  the  neces 
sary  preparations  without  further  delay.  John  Effingham  and 
Saunders  were  immediately  summoned  by  Mademoiselle  Vief 
ville  herself,  who,  once  engaged,,  in  the  undertaking,  pursued  it 
fervently,  while  she  went  in  person  into  the  cabins  to  make  the 
necessary  preparations  connected  with  their  subsistence  and 
comforts,  should  they  actually  succeed  in  quitting  the  vessel. 

No  experienced  mariner  could  set  about  the  work  with  more 
discretion,  or  with  a  better  knowledge  of  what  was  necessary 
to  be  done,  than  Mr.  Blunt  now  showed.  Saunders  was  directed 
to  clear  the  launch,  which  had  a  roof  on  it,  and  still  contained 
a  respectable  provision  of  poultry,  sheep,  and  pigs.  The  roof 
he  was  told  not  to  disturb,  since  it  might  answer  as  a  substi- 
tn'o  for  a  deck  ;  but  every  thing  was  p;issed  rapidly  from  the 


348  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

inside  of  the  boat,  which  the  steward  commenced  scrubbing 
and  cleaning  with  an  assiduity  that  he  seldom  manifested  in 
his  cabins.  Fortunately,  the  tackles  with  which  Mr.  Leach  had 
raised  the  sheers  and  stepped  the  jury-mast  the  previous  morn 
ing  were  still  lying  on  the  deck,  and  Paul  was  spared  the  labor 
of  reeving  new  ones.  He  went  to  work,  therefore,  to  get  up 
two  on  the  substitute  for  a  main-stay ;  a  job  that  he  had  com 
pleted,  through  the  aid  of  the  two  gentlemen  on  deck,  by  the 
time  Saunders  pronounced  the  boat  to  be  in  a  fit  condition  to 
receive  its  cargo.  The  gripes  were  now  loosened,  and  the  fall 
of  one  of  the  tackles  was  led  to  the  capstan. 

By  this  time  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  by  her  energy  and  de 
cision,  had  so  far  aroused  Eve  and  her  woman,  that  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  had  left  his  daughter,  and  appeared  on  deck  among  those 
who  were  assisting  Paul.  So  intense  was  the  interest,  however, 
which  all  took  in  the  result,  that  the  ladies,  and  even  Ann  Sidley, 
with  the  femme  de  chambre,  suspended  their  own  efforts,  and 
stood  clustering  around  the  capstan  as  the  gentlemen  began  to 
heave,  almost  breathless  between  their  doubts  and  hopes ;  for 
it  was  a  matter  of  serious  question  whether  there  was  sufficient 
force  to  lift  so  heavy  a  body  at  all.  Turn  after  turn  was  made, 
the  fall  gradually  tightening,  until  those  at  the  bars  felt  the  full 
strain  of  their  utmost  force. 

"  Heave  together,  gentlemen,"  said  Paul  Blunt,  who  directed 
every  thing,  besides  doing  so  much  with  his  own  bands.  "  We 
have  its  weight  now,  and  all  we  gain  is  so  much  towards  lifting 
the  boat." 

A  steady  effort  was  continued  for  two  or  three  minutes,  with 
but  little  sensible  advantage,  when  all  stopped  for  breath. 

"  I  fear  it  will  surpass  our  strength,"  observed  Mr.  Sharp. 
"  The  boat  seems  not  to  have  moved,  and  the  ropes  are  stretched 
in  a  way  to  menace  parting." 

"  We  want  but  the  force  of  a  boy  added  to  our  own,"  said 
Paul,  looking  doubtingly  towards  the  females;  "in  such  cases, 
a  pound  counts  for  a  ton." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  349 

"  Allons  /"  cried  Mademoiselle  Yiefville,  motioning  to  the 
femme  de  chambre  to  follow ;  "  we  will  not  be  defeated  for  the 
want  of  such  a  trifle." 

These  two  resolute  women  applied  their  strength  to  the  bars, 
and  the  power,  which  had  been  so  equally  balanced,  prepondera 
ted  in  favor  of  the  machine.  The  capstan,  which  a  moment  before 
was  scarcely  seen  to  turn,  and  that  only  by  short  and  violent 
efforts,  now  moved  steadily  but  slowly  round,  and  the  end  of 
the  launch  rose.  Eve  was  only  prevented  from  joining  the  la 
borers  by  Nanny,  who  held  her  folded  in  her  arms,  fearful  that 
some  accident  might  occur  to  injure  her. 

Paul  Blunt  now  cheerfully  announced  the  certainty  that  they 
had  a  force  sufficient  to  raise  the  boat,  though  the  operation 
would  still  be  long  and  laborious.  We  say,  cheerfully ;  for  while 
this  almost  unhoped-for  success  promised  little  relief  in  the  end, 
there  is  always  something  buoyant  and  encouraging  in  success 
of  any  sort. 

"  We  are  masters  of  the  boat,"  he  said,  "  provided  the  Arabs 
do  not  molest  us ;  and  we  may  drift  away,  by  means  of  some 
contrivance  of  a  sail,  to  such  a  distance  as  will  keep  us  out  of 
their  power,  until  all  chance  of  seeing  our  friends  again  is 
finally  lost." 

"  This,  then,  is  a  blessed  relief !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Effingham  ; 
"  and  God  may  yet  avert  from  us  the  bitterest  portion  of  this 
calamity !" 

The  pent  emotions  again  flowed,  and  Eve  once  more  wept  in 
her  father's  arms,  a  species  of  holy  joy  mingling  with  her  tears. 
In  the  mean  time,  Paul,  having  secured  the  fall  by  which  they 
had  just  been  heaving,  brought  the  other  to  the  capstan,  when 
the  operation  was  renewed  with  the  same  success.  In  this  man 
ner  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  launch  hung  suspended 
from  the  stay,  at  a  sufficient  height  to  apply  the  yard-tackles^ 
As  the  latter,  however,  were  not  aloft,  Paul  having  deemed  it 
wise  to  ascertain  their  ability  to  lift  the  boat  at  all,  before  he 
threw  away  so  much  toil,  the  females  renewed  their  prepara- 


350  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

lions  in  the  cabins,  while  the  gentlemen  assisted  the  young 
sailor  in  getting  up  the  purchases.  During  this  pause  in  the 
heaving,  Saunders  was  sent  below  to  search  for  sails  and  masts, 
both  of  which  Paul  thought  must  be  somewhere  in  the  ship,  as 
he  found  the  launch  was  fitted  to  receive  them. 

It  was  apparent,  in  the  mean  time,  that  the  Arabs  watched 
their  proceedings  narrowly ;  for  the  moment  Paul  appeared  on 
the  yard  a  great  movement  took  place  among  them,  and  several 
muskets  were  discharged  in  the  direction  of  the  ship,  though 
the  distance  rendered  the  fire  harmless.  The  gentlemen  ob 
served  with  concern,  however,  that  the  balls  passed  the  vessel, 
a  fearful  proof  of  the  extraordinary  power  of  the  arms  used  by 
these  barbarians.  Luckily  the  reef,  which  by  this  time  was 
nearly  bare  ahead  of  the  ship,  was  still  covered  in  a  few  places 
nearer  to  the  shore  to  a  depth  that  forbade  a  passage,  except  by 
swimming.  John  -Effingham,  however,  who  was  examining  the 
proceedings  of  the  Arabs  with  a  glass,  announced  that  a  party 
appeared  disposed  to  get  on  the  naked  rocks  nearest  the  ship, 
as  they  had  left  the  shore,  dragging  some  light  spars  after  them, 
with  which  they  seemed  to  be  about  to  bridge  the  different  spots 
of  deep  water,  most  of  which  were  sufficiently  narrow  to  admit 
of  being  passed  in  this  manner. 

Although  the  operation  commenced  by  the  Arabs  would 
necessarily  consume  a  good  deal  of  time,  this  intelligence  quick 
ened  the  movements  of  all  in  the  ship.  Saunders,  in  particular, 
who  had  returned  to  report  his  want  of  success,  worked  with  re 
doubled  zeal;  for,  as  is  usual  with  those  who  are  the  least  fortified 
by  reason,  he  felt  the  greatest  horror  of  falling  into  the  hands 
of  barbarians.  It  was  a  slow  and  laborious  thing,  notwithstand 
ing,  to  get  upon  the  yards  the  heavy  blocks  and  falls ;  and  had 
not  Paul  Blunt  been  quite  as  conspicuous  for  personal  strength 
as  he  was  ready  and  expert  in  a  knowledge  of  his  profession,  he 
would  not  have  succeeded  in  the  unaided  effort ;  unaided  aloft, 
though  the  others,  of  course,  relieved  him  much  by  working  at 
the  whips  on  deck.  At  length  this  important  arrangement  was 


HOMEWARD     BO  U  N  D  .  351 

effected,  the  young  man  descended,  and  the  capstan  was  again 
manned. 

This  time  the  females  were  not  required,  it  being  in  the  power 
of  the  gentlemen  to  heave  the  launch  out  to  the  side  of  the 
ship,  Paul  managing  the  different  falls  BO  adroitly,  that  the 
heavy  boat  was  brought  so  near,  and  yet  so  much  above  the 
rail,  as  to  promise  to  clear  it.  John  Effingham  now  stood  at 
one  of  the  stay-tackle  falls,  and  Paul  at  the  other,  when  the 
latter  made  a  signal  to  ease  away.  The  launch  settled  slowly 
towards  the  side  of  the  vessel  until  it  reached  the  rail,  against 
which  it  lodged.  Catching  a  turn  with  his  fall,  Mr.  Blunt 
sprang  forward,  and  bending  beneath  the  boat,  he  saw  that  its 
keel  had  hit  a  belaying-pin.  One  blow  from  a  capstan-bar 
cleared  away  this  obstruction,  and  the  boat  swung  off.  The  stay- 
tackle  falls  were  let  go  entirely,  and  all  on  board  saw,  with  an 
exultation  that  words  can  scarcely  describe,  the  important  craft 
suspended  directly  over  the  sea.  No  music  ever  sounded  more 
sweetly  to  the  listeners  than  the  first  plash  of  the  massive  boat 
as  it  fell  heavily  upon  the  surface  of  the  water.  Its  size,  its 
roof,  and  its  great  strength  gave  it  an  appearance  of  security, 
that  for  the  moment  deceived  them  all ;  for,  in  contemplating 
the  advantage  they  had  so  unexpectedly  gained,  they  forgot  the 
many  obstacles  that  existed  to  their  availing  themselves  of  it. 

It  was  not  many  minutes  before  Paul  was  on  the  roof  of  the 
launch,  had  loosened  the  tackles,  and  had  breasted  the  boat  to, 
at  the  side  of  the  ship,  in  readiness  to  receive  the  stores  that 
the  females  had  collected.  In  order  that  the  reader  may  better 
understand  the  nature  of  the  ark  that  was  about  to  receive 
those  who  remained  in  the  Montauk,  however,  it  may  be  well 
to  describe  it. 

The  boat  itself  was  large,  strong,  and  capable  of  resisting  a 
heavy  sea  when  well  managed,  and,  of  course,  unwieldy  in 
proportion.  To  pull  it,  at  a  moderate  rate,  eight  or  ten  large 
oars  were  necessary  ;  whereas,  all  the  search  of  the  gentlemen 
could  not  find  one.  They  succeeded,  however,  in  discovering  a 


HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

rudder  and  tiller,  appliances  not  always  used  in  launches,  and 
Paul  Blunt  shipped  them  instantly.  Around  the  gunwales  of 
the  boat,  stanchions,  which  sustained  a  slightly-rounded  roof, 
were  fitted,  a  provision  that  it  is  usual  to  make  in  the  packets, 
in  order  to  protect  the  stock  they  carry  against  the  weather. 
This  stock  having  been  turned  loose  on  the  deck,  and  the  in 
terior  cleaned,  the  latter  now  presented  a  snug  and  respectable 
cabin  ;  one  coarse  and.  cramped,  compared  with  those  of  the 
ship,  certainly,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  one  that  might  be  well 
deemed  a  palace  by  shipwrecked  mariners.  As  it  would  be  pos 
sible  to  retain  this  roof  until  compelled  by  bad  weather  to  throw 
it  away,  Paul,  who  had  never  before  seen  a  boat  afloat  with 
such  a  canopy,  regarded  it  with  delight ;  for  it  promised  a  pro 
tection  to  that  delicate  form  he  so  much  cherished  in  his  in 
most  heart,  that  he  had  not  even  dared  to  hope  for.  Between 
the  roof  and  the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  shutters  buttoned  in,  so 
as  to  fill  the  entire  space ;  and  when  these  were  in  their  places, 
the  whole  of  the  interior  formed  an  inclosed  apartment,  of  a 
height  sufficient  to  allow  even  a  man  to  stand  erect  without  his 
hat.  It  is  true,  this  arrangement  rendered  the  boat  clumsy,  and, 
to  a  certain  extent,  top-heavy  and  unmanageable ;  but  so  long 
as  it  could  be  retained,  it  also  rendered  it  infinitely  more  com 
fortable  than  it  could  possibly  be  without  it.  The  roof,  more 
over,  might  be  cut  away  in  five  minutes,  at  any  time,  should 
circumstances  require  it. 

Paul  had  just  completed  a  hasty  survey  of  his  treasure,  for 
such  he  now  began  to  consider  the  launch,  when  casting  his 
eye  upward,  with  the  intention  to  mount  the  ship's  side,  he  saw 
Eve  looking  down  at  him,  as  if  to  read  their  fate  in  the  expres 
sion  of  his  own  countenance. 

"  The  Arabs,"  she  hurriedly  remarked,  "  are  moving  along 
the  reef,  as  my  father  says,  faster  than  he  could  wish,  and  all 
our  hopes  are  centred  in  you  and  the  boat.  The  first,  I  know, 
will  not  fail  us,  so  long  as  means  allow  ;  but  can  we  do  any 
thing  with  the  launch  2" 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  353 

"  For  the  first  time,  dearestrMiss  Effingham,  I  see  a  little  chance 
of  rescuing  ourselves  from  the  grasp  of  these  barbarians.  There 
is  no  time  to  lose,  but  every  thing  must  be  passed  into  the  boat 
\vith  as  little  delay  as  possible." 

"  Bless  you,  bless  you,  Fowls,  for  this  gleam  of  hope  !  Your 
words  are  cordials,  and  our  lives  can  scarcely  serve  to  prove  the 
gratitude  we  owe  you." 

This  was  said  naturally,  and  as  one  expresses  a  strong  feel 
ing,  without  reflection  or  much  weighing  of  words ;  but  even  at 
that  fearful  moment,  it  thrilled  on  every  pulse  of  the  young  man. 
The  ardent  look  that  he  gave  the  beautiful  girl  caused  her  to 
redden  to  the  temples,  and  she  hastily  withdrew. 

The  gentlemen  now  began  to  pass  into  the  boat  the  different 
things  that  had  been  provided,  principally  by  the  foresight  of 
Mademoiselle  Viefville,  where  they  were  received  by  Paul,  who 
thrust  them  beneath  the  roof  without  stopping  to  lose  the  pre 
cious  moments  in  stowage.  They  included  mattresses,  the 
trunks  that  contained  their  ordinary  sea-attire,  or  those  that 
were  not  stowed  in  the  baggage-room,  blankets,  counterpanes, 
potted  meats,  bread,  wine,  various  condiments  and  prepared 
food,  from  the  stores  of  Saunders,  and  generally  such  things  as 
had  presented  themselves  in  the  hurry  of  the  moment.  Nearly 
half  of  the  articles  were  rejected  by  Paul  as  unnecessary,  though 
he  received  many  in  consideration  of  the  delicacy  of  his  feebler 
companions,  which  would  otherwise  have  been  cast  aside. 
When  he  found,  however,  that  food  enough  had  been  passed 
into  the  boat  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  whole  party  for  several 
weeks,  he  solicited  a  truce,  declaring  it  indiscreet  to  render 
themselves  uselessly  uncomfortable  in  this  manner,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  effect  on  the  boat.  The  great  requisite,  water, 
was  still  wanting,  and  he  now  desired  that  the  two  domestics 
might  get  into  the  boat  to  arrange  the  different  articles,  while 
he  endeavored  to  find  something  that  might  serve  as  a  substitute 
for  sails,  and  obtain  the  all-important  supply. 

His  attention  was  first  given  to  the  water,  without  which  all 


354  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  other  preparations  would  be  rendered  totally  useless.  Be 
fore  setting  about  this,  however,  he  stole  a  moment  to  look  into 
the  state  of  things  among  the  Arabs.  It  was  indeed  time,  for 
the  tide  had  now  fallen  so  low  as  to  leave  the  rocks  nearly 
bare,  and  several  hundreds  of  the  barbarians  were  advancing 
along  the  reef,  towing  their  bridge,  the  slow  progress  of  which 
alone  prevented  them  from  coming  up  at  once  to  the  point  op 
posite  the  ship.  Paul  saw  there  was  not  a  moment  to  lose, 
and,  calling  Saunders,  he  hurried  below. 

Three  or  four  small  casks  were  soon  found,  when  the  steward 
brought  them  to  the  tank  to  be  filled.  Luckily  the  water  had 
not  to  be  pumped  oft',  but  it  ran  in  a  stream  into  the  vessel  that 
was  placed  to  receive  it.  As  soon  as  one  cask  was  ready,  it 
was  carried  on  deck  by  the  gentlemen,  and  was  struck  into  the 
boat  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  The  shouts  of  the  Arabs 
now  became  audible,  even  to  those  who  were  below,  and  it  re 
quired  great  steadiness  of  nerve  to  continue  the  all-important 
preparation.  At  length  the  last  of  the  casks  was  filled,  when 
Paul  rushed  on  deck,  for,  by  this  time,  the  cries  of  the  barba 
rians  proclaimed  their  presence  near  the  ship.  When  he 
reached  the  rail,  he  found  the  reef  covered  with  them,  some 
hailing  the  vessel,  others  menacing,  hundreds  still  busied  with 
their  floating  bridge,  while  a  few  endeavored  to  frighten  those 
on  board  by  discharging  their  muskets  over  their  heads.  Hap 
pily,  aim  was  impossible,  so  long  as  care  was  taken  not  to  ex 
pose  the  body  above  the  bulwarks. 

"  We  have  not  a  moment  to  lose,"  cried  Mr.  Effingham,  on 
whose  bosom  Eve  lay,  nearly  incapable  of  motion.  "  The  food 
and  water  are  in  the  boat,  and,  in  the  name  of  a  merciful  God, 
let  us  escape  from  this  scene  of  frightful  barbarity." 

"  The  danger  is  not  yet  so  inevitable,"  returned  Paul  steadily. 
"  Frightful  and  pressing  as  it  truly  seems,  we  have  a  few  min 
utes  to  think  in.  Let  me  entreat  that  Miss  Effingham  and 
Mademoiselle  Viefville  will  receive  a  drop  of  this  cordial." 

He  poured  into  a  glass  a  restorative  from  a  bottle  that  had 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  355 

been  left  on  the  capstan  as  superfluous,  in  the  confusion  of  pro 
viding  stores,  and  held  it  to  the  pallid  lips  of  Eve.  As  she 
swallowed  a  mouthful,  nearly  as  helpless  as  the  infant  that  re 
ceives  nourishment  from  the  hand  of  its  nurse,  the  blood  re 
turned,  and  raising  herself  from  her  father's  arms,  she  smiled, 
though  with  an  effort,  and  thanked  him  for  his  care. 

"  It  was  a  dread  moment,"  she  said,  passing  her  hand  over 
her  brow  ;  "  but  it  is  past,  and  I  am  better.  Mademoiselle 
Viefville  will  be  obliged  to  you,  also,  for  a  little  of  this." 

The  firm-minded  and  spirited  Frenchwoman,  though  pale  as 
death,  and  evidently  suffering  under  extreme  apprehension,  put 
aside  the  glass  courteously,  declining  its  contents. 

"  We  are  sixty  fathoms  from  the  rocks,"  said  Paul  calmly, 
"  and  they  must  cross  this  ditch  yet,  to  reach  us.  None  of  them 
seem  disposed  to  attempt  it  by  swimming,  and  their  bridge, 
though  ingeniously  put  together,  may  not  prove  long  enough." 

"Would  it  be  safe  for  the  ladies  to  get  into  the  boat  where 
she  lies,  exposed  as  they  would  be  to  the  muskets  of  the  Arabs?" 
inquired  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  All  that  shall  be  remedied,"  returned  Paul.  "  I  cannot 
quit  the  deck  :  would  you,"  slightly  bowing  to  Mr.  Sharp,  "  go 
below  again,  with  Saunders,  and  look  for  some  light  sail  ?  with 
out  one,  we  cannot  move  away  from  the  ship,  even  when  in  the 
boat.  I  see  a  suitable  spar  and  necessary  rigging  on  deck ;  but 
the  canvas  must  be  looked  for  in  the  sail-room.  It  is  a  nervous 
thing,  I  confess,  to  be  below  at  such  a  moment ;  but  you  have 
too  much  faith  in  us  to  dread  being  deserted." 

Mr.  Sharp  grasped  the  hand  as  a  pledge  of  a  perfect  reliance 
on  the  other's  faith,  but  he  could  not  speak.  Calling  Saunders, 
the  steward  received  his  instructions,  when  the  two  went  has 
tily  below. 

"  I  could  wish  the  ladies  were  in  the  boat  with  their  women," 
said  Paul,  for  Ann  Sidley  and  the  femme  de  chambre  were  still 
in  the  launch,  busied  in  disposing  of  its  mixed  cargo  of  stores, 
though  concealed  from  the  Arabs  by  the  roof  and  shutters ; 


356  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  but  it  would  be  hazardous  to  attempt  it  while  exposed  to  the 
fire  from  the  reef.  We  shall  have  to  change  the  position  of 
the  ship  in  the  end,  and  it  may  as  well  be  done  at  once." 

Beckoning  to  John  Effiiigham  to  follow,  he  went  forward  to 
examine  into  the  movements  of  the  Arabs  once  more  before  he 
took  any  decided  step.  The  two  gentlemen  placed  themselves 
behind  the  high  defences  of  the  forecastle,  where  they  had  a 
fair  opportunity  of  reconnoitring  their  assailants,  the  greater 
height  of  the  ship's  deck  completely  concealing  all  that  had 
passed  on  it  from  the  sight  of  those  on  the  rocks. 

The  barbarians,  who  seemed  to  be,  and  who  in  truth  were 
fully  apprised  of  the  defenceless  and  feeble  condition  of  the 
party  on  board,  were  at  work  without  the  smallest  apprehen 
sion  of  receiving  any  injury  from  that  quarter.  Their  great 
object  was  to  get  possession  of  the  ship  before  the  returning 
water  should  again  drive  them  from  the  rocks.  In  order  to 
effect  this,  they  had  placed  all  who  were  willing  and  sufficiently 
subordinate  on  the  bridge,  though  a  hundred  were  idle,  shout 
ing,  clapping  their  hands,  menacing,  and  occasionally  discharg 
ing  a  musket,  of  which  there  were  probably  fifty  in  their  pos 
session. 

"They  work  with  judgment  at  their  pontoon,"  said  Paul, 
after  he  had  examined  the  proceedings  of  those  on  the  reef  for 
a  few  minutes.  "  You  may  perceive  that  they  have  dragged 
the  outer  edge  of  the  bridge  up  to  windward,  and  have  just 
shoved  it  from  the  rocks,  with  the  intention  to  permit  it  to 
drift  round  until  it  shall  bring  up  against  the  bows  of  the  ship, 
when  they  will  pour  on  board  like  so  many  tigers.  It  is  a 
disjointed  and  loose  contrivance,  that  the  least  sea  would  de 
range  ;  but  in  this  perfectly  smooth  water  it  will  answer  their 
purpose.  It  moves  slowly,  but  will  surely  drift  round  upon  us 
in  the  course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  more ;  and  of  this 
they  appear  to  be  quite  certain  themselves,  for  they  seem  as 
well  satisfied  with  their  work  as  if  already  assured  of  its  com 
plete  success." 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  357 

"  It  is,  then,  important  to  us  to  be  prompt,  since  our  time 
will  be  so  brief." 

"  We  will  be  prompt,  but  in  another  mode.  If  you  will 
assist  me  a  little,  I  think  this  effort,  at  least,  may  be  easily  de 
feated,  after  which  it  will  be  time  enough  to  think  of  escape." 

Paul,  aided  by  John  Effingham,  now  loosened  the  chains 
altogether  from  the  bitts,  and  suffered  the  ship  to  drop  astern. 
As  this  was  done  silently  and  stealthily,  it  occupied  several 
minutes ;  but  the  wind  being  by  this  time  fresh,  the  huge  mass 
yielded  to  its  power  with  certainty  ;  and  when  the  bridge  had 
floated  round  in  a  direct  line  from  the  reef,  or  dead  to  leeward, 
there  was  a  space  of  water  between  its  end  and  the  ship  of 
more  than  a  hundred  feet.  The  Arabs  had  rushed  on  it  in 
readiness  to  board,  but  they  set  up  a  yell  of  disappointment  as 
soon  as  the  truth  was  discovered.  A  tumult  followed  ;  several 
fell  from  the  wet  and  slippery  spars ;  but,  after  a  short  time 
wasted  in  confusion  and  clamor,  the  directions  of  their  chiefs 
were  obeyed,  and  they  set  to  work  with  energy  to  break  up 
their  bridge,  in  order  to  convert  its  materials  into  a  raft. 

By  this  time  Mr.  Sharp  and  Saunders  had  returned,  bringing 
with  them  several  light  sails,  such  as  spare  royals  and  topgal 
lant  studding-sails.  Paul  next  ordered  a  spare  mizzen-topgal- 
laut-mast,  with  a  topgallant  studding-sail  boom,  and  a  quantity 
of  light  rope  to  be  laid  in  the  gangway,  after  which  he  set 
about  the  final  step.  As  time  now  pressed  in  earnest,  the 
Arabs  working  rapidly  and  with  increasing  shouts,  he  called 
upon  all  the  gentlemen  for  assistance,  giving  such  directions  as 
should  enable  them  to  work  with  intelligence. 

"  Bear  a  hand,  Saunders,"  he  said,  having  taken  the  steward 
forward  with  him,  as  one  more  accustomed  to  ships  than  the 
others  ;  "bear  a  hand,  my  fine  fellow,  and  light  up  this  chain. 
Ten  minutes  just  now  are  of  more  value  than  a  year  at  another 
time." 

"  Tis  awful,  Mr.  Blunt,  sir — werry  awful,  I  do  confirm,"  re 
turned  the  steward,  blubbering  and  wiping  his  eyes  between 


358  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

the  drags  at  the  chains.  "  Such  a  fate  to  befall  such  cabins, 
sir  !  And  the  crockery  of  the  werry  best  quality  out  of  London 
or  New  York !  Had  I  diwined  such  an  issue  for  the  Montauk, 
sir,  I  never  would  have  counselled  Captain  Truck  to  lay  in 
half  the  stores  we  did,  and  most  essentially  not  the  new  lots  of 
vines.  Oh  !  sir,  it  is  truly  awful  to  have  such  a  calamity  wisit 
so  much  elegant  preparation !" 

"  Forget  it  all,  my  fine  fellow,  and  light  up  the  chain.  Ha ! 
she  touches  abaft !  Ten  or  fifteen  fathoms  more  will  answer." 

"  I've  paid  great  dewotion  to  the  silver,  Mr.  Blunt,  sir,  for 
it's  all  in  the  launch,  even  to  the  broken  mustard-spoon  ;  and  I 
do  hope,  if  Captain  Truck's  soul  is  permitted  to  superintend  the 
pantry  any  longer,  it  will  be  quite  beatified  and  encouraged 
with  my  prudence  and  oversight.  I  left  all  the  rest  of  the 
table  furniture,  sir;  though  I  suppose  these  muscle-men  will 
not  have  much  use  for  any  but  the  oyster-knives,  as  I  am  in 
formed  they  eat  with  their  fingers.  I  declare  it  is  quite 
oppressive  and  unhuman  to  have  such  wagabonds  rummaging 
one's  lockers  !"" 

"Rouse  away,  my  man,  and  light  up!  the  ship  has  caught 
the  breeze  on  her  larboard  bow,  and  begins  to  take  the  chain 
more  freely.  Remember  that  precious  beings  depend  on  us 
for  safety." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ;  light  up,  it  is.  I  feel  quite  a  concern  for  the 
ladies,  sir,  and  more  especially  for  the  stores  we  abandon  to 
the  underwriters.  A  better-found  ship  never  came  out  of  St. 
Catherine's  Docks  or  the  East  River,  particularly  in  the  pantry 
department ;  and  I  wonder  what  these  wretches  will  do  with 
her.  They  will  be  quite  abashed  with  her  conveniences,  sir, 
and  unable  to  enjoy  them.  Poor  Toast,  too !  he  will  have  a 
monstrous  unpleasant  time  with  the  muscle-men,  for  he  never 
eats  fish,  and  has  quite  a  genteel  and  ameliorated  way  with 
him.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  forgot  all  I  have  taken  so  much 
pains  to  teach  him,  sir,  unless  he's  dead ;  in  which  case  it  will 
be  of  no  use  to  him  in  another  world." 


HOMEWARD      B  O  U  N  D  .  359 

"  That  will  do,"  interrupted  Paul,  ceasing  his  labor ;  "  the 
ship  is  aground  from  forward  aft.  We  will  now  hurry  the 
spars  and  sails  into  the  boat,  and  let  the  ladies  get  into  her." 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  better  understand  the  present 
situation  of  the  ship,  it  may  be  necessary  to  explain  what  Mr. 
Powis  and  the  steward  had  been  doing  all  this  time.  By  pay 
ing  out  the  chains,  the  ship  had  fallen  farther  astern,  until  she 
took  the  ground  abaft  on  the  edge  of  the  sandbank  so  often 
mentioned  ;  and  once  fast  at  that  end,  her  bows  had  fallen  off, 
pressed  by  the  wind,  as  long  as  the  depth  of  the  water  would 
allow.  She  now  lay  aground  forward  and  aft,  with  her  star 
board  side  to  the  reef,  and  the  launch,  between  the  vessel  and 
the  naked  sands,  Avas  completely  covered  from  the  observations 
and  assaults  of  the  barbarians  by  the  former. 

Eve,  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  and  Mr.  Effingham  now  got 
into  the  launch,  while  the  others  still  remained  in  the  ship  to 
complete  the  preparations. 

"  They  get  on  fast  with  their  raft,"  said  Paul,  while  he  both 
worked  himself  and  directed  the  labor  of  the  others :  "  though 
we  shall  be  safe  here  until  they  actually  quit  the  rocks.  Their 
spars  will  be  certain  to  float  down  upon  the  ship,  but  the 
movement  will  necessarily  be  slow,  as  the  water  is  too  deep  to 
admit  of  setting,  even  if  they  had  poles,  of  which  I  see  none. 
Throw  these  spare  sails  on  the  roof  of  the  launch,  Saunders. 
They  may  be  wanted  before  we  reach  a  port,  should  God  pro 
tect  us  long  enough  to  effect  so  much.  Pass  two  compasses 
also  into  the  boat,  with  all  the  carpenter's  tools  that  have  been 
collected." 

While  giving  these  orders,  Paul  was  busied  in  sawing  off 
the  larger  end  of  the  pole-mizzen-topgallant-mast,  to  convert  it 
into  a  spar  for  the  launch.  This  was  done  by  the  time  he 
ceased  speaking;  a  step  was  made,  and,  jumping  down  on  the 
roof  of  the  boat,  he  cut  out  a  hole  to  receive  it,  at  a  spot  he 
had  previously  marked  for  that  purpose.  By  the  time  he  had 
done  the  spar  was  ready  to  be  entered,  and  in  another  minute 


360  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  very  sufficient  mast  in  its 
place.  A  royal  was  also  stretched  to  its  yard,  and  halyards, 
tack,  and  sheet  being  bent,  every  thing  was  ready  to  run  up  a 
sail  at  a  moment's  warning.  As  this  supplied  the  means  of 
motion,  the  gentlemen  began  to  breathe  more  freely,  and  to  be 
think  them  of  those  minor  comforts  and  essentials  that  in  the 
hurry  of  such  a  scene  would  be  likely  to  be  overlooked.  After 
a  few  more  busy  minutes  all  was  pronounced  to  be  ready,  and 
John  Effingham  began  seriously  to  urge  the  party  to  quit  the 
ship  ;  but  Paul  still  hesitated.  He  strained  his  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  wreck,  in  the  vain  hope  of  yet  receiving  succor 
from  that  quarter ;  but,  of  course,  uselessly,  as  it  was  about  the 
time  when  Captain  Truck  was  warping  off  with  his  raft,  in 
order  to  obtain  an  offing.  Just  at  this  moment  a  party  of 
twenty  Arabs  got  upon  the  spars,  which  they  had  brought  to 
gether  into  a  single  body,  and  began  to  drift  down  slowly  upon 
the  ship. 

Paul  cast  a  look  about  him  to  see  if  any  thing  else  that  was 
useful  could  be  found,  and  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  gun.  It  struck 
him  that  it  might  be  made  serviceable  as  a  scarecrow  in  forcing 
their  way  through  the  inlet,  and  he  determined  to  lodge  it  on 
the  roof  of  the  launch,  for  the  present,  at  least,  and  to  throw  it 
overboard  as  soon  as  they  got  into  rough  water,  if  indeed  they 
should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  get  outside  of  the  reef  at  all.  The 
stay  and  yard  tackles  offered  the  necessary  facilities,  and  he  in 
stantly  slung  the  piece.  A  few  rounds  of  the  capstan  lifted  it 
from  the  deck,  a  few  more  bore  it  clear  of  the  side,  and  then  it 
was  easily  lowered  on  the  roof,  Saunders  being  sent  into  the 
boat  to  set  up  a  stanchion  beneath,  in  order  that  its  weight 
might  do  no  injury. 

The  gentlemen  at  last  got  into  the  launch,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  Paul,  who  still  lingered  in  the  ship  watching  the  progress 
of  the  Arabs,  and  making  his  calculations  for  the  future. 

It  required  great  steadiness  of  nerve,  perfect  self-reliance,  and 
an  entire  confidence  in  his  resources  and  knowledge,  for  one  to 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  361 

remain  a  passive  spectator  of  the  slow  drift  of  the  raft,  while  it 
gradually  settled  down  on  the  ship.  As  it  approached,  Paul 
was  seen  by  those  on  it,  and,  with  the  usual  duplicity  of  barba 
rians,  they  made  signs  of  amity  and  encouragement.  These 
signs  did  not  deceive  the  young  man,  however,  who  only  re 
mained  to  be  a  close  observer  of  their  conduct,  thinking  some 
useful  hint  might  thus  be  obtained,  though  his  calmness  so  far 
imposed  on  the  Arabs  that  they  even  made  signs  to  him  to 
throw  them  a  rope.  Believing  it  now  time  to  depart,  he  an 
swered  the  signal  favorably,  and  disappeared  from  their  sight. 

Even  in  descending  to  the  boat,  this  trained  and  cool  young 
seaman  betrayed  no  haste.  His  movements  were  quick,  and 
every  thing  was  done  with  readiness  and  knowledge  certainly, 
but  no  confusion  or  trepidation  occasioned  the  loss  of  a  mo 
ment.  He  hoisted  the  sail,  brought  down  the  tack,  and  then 
descended  beneath  the  roof,  having  first  hauled  in  the  painter, 
and  given  the  boat  a  long  and  vigorous  shove,  to  force  it  from 
the  side  of  the  vessel.  By  this  last  expedient  he  at  once  placed 
thirty  feet  of  water  between  the  boat  and  the  Montauk,  a  space 
that  the  Arabs  had  no  means  of  overcoming.  As  soon  as  he 
was  beneath  the  roof  the  sheet  was  hauled  in,  and  Paul  seized 
the  tiller,  which  had  been  made,  by  means  of  a  narrow  cut  in 
the  boards,  to  play  in  one  of  the  shutters.  Mr.  Sharp  took  a 
position  in  the  bows,  where  he  could  see  the  sands  and  chan 
nels  through  the  crevices,  directing  the  other  how  to  steer ;  and 
just  as  a  shout  announced  the  arrival  of  the  raft  at  the  other 
side  of  the  ship,  the  flap  of  their  sail  gave  those  in  the  boat  the 
welcome  intelligence  that  they  had  got  so  far  from  her  cover 
as  to  feel  the  force  of  the  wind. 

16 


362  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

"  Speed,  gallant  bark  !  richer  cargo  is  thine. 
Than  Brazilian  gem,  or  Peruvian  mine; 
And  the  treasures  thou  bearest  thy  destiny  wail, 
For  they,  if  thou  perish,  must  share  in  thy  fate." 

PARK. 

THE  departure  of  the  boat  was  excellently  timed.  Had  it 
left  the  side  of  the  ship  while  the  Arabs  on  the  raft  were  unoc 
cupied,  and  at  a  little  distance,  it  would  have  been  exposed  to 
their  fire ;  for  at  least  a  dozen  of  those  who  boarded  had  mus 
kets  ;  whereas  the  boat  now  glided  away  to  leeward,  while 
they  were  busy  in  getting  up  her  side,  or  were  so  near  the  ship 
as  not  to  be  able  to  see  the  launch  at  all.  AVhen  Paul  Powis, 
who  was  looking  astern  through  a  crevice,  saw  the  first  Arab 
on  the  deck  of  the  Montauk,  the  launch  was  already  near  a 
cable's  length  from  her,  running  with  a  fresh  and  free  wind 
into  one  of  the  numerous  little  channels  that  intersected  the 
naked  banks  of  sand.  The  unusual  construction  of  the  boat, 
with  its  inclosed  roof,  and  the  circumstance  that  no  one  was 
visible  on  board  her,  had  the  effect  to  keep  the  barbarians  pas 
sive,  until  distance  put  her  beyond  the  reach  of  danger.  A  few 
muskets  were  discharged,  but  they  were  fired  at  random,  and 
in  the  bravado  of  a  semi-savage  state  of  feeling. 

Paul  kept  the  launch  running  off  free,  until  he  was  near  a 
mile  from  the  ship,  when,  finding  he  wras  approaching  the  reef 
to  the  northward  and  eastward,  and  that  a  favorable  sandbank 
lay  a  short  distance  ahead,  he  put  down  the  helm,  let  the  sheet 
fly,  and  the  boat's  forefoot  shot  upon  the  sands.  By  a  little 
management,  the  launch  was  got  broadside  to  the  bank,  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  363 

water  being  sufficiently  deep,  and,  when  it  was  secured,  the 
females  were  enabled  to  land  through  the  opening  of  a  shutter. 

The  change  from  the  apparent  hopelessness  of  their  situa 
tion  was  so  gre,  t,  as  to  render  the  whole  party  comparatively 
happy.  Paul  a*  d  John  Effingham  united  in  affirming  it  would 
be  quite  possible  to  reach  one  of  the  islands  to  leeward  in  so 
good  a  boat,  and  'hat  they  ought  to  deem  themselves  fortunate, 
under  the  circumt  ances,  in  being  the  masters  of  a  little  bark  so 
well  found  in  ever  r  essential.  Eve  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville, 
who  had  fervently  returned  their  thanks  to  the  Great  Ruler  of 
events,  while  in  the  boat,  walked  about  the  hard  sand  with  even 
a  sense  of  enjoyment,  and  smiles  began  again  to  brighten  the 
beautiful  features  of  the  first.  Mr.  Effingham  declared,  with  a 
grateful  heart,  that  in  no  park,  or  garden,  had  he  ever  before 
met  with  a  promenade  that  seemed  so  delightful  as  this  spot  of 
naked  and  moistened  sand,  on  the  sterile  coast  of  the  Great 
Desert.  Its  charm  was  its  security,  for  its  distance  from  every 
point  that  could  be  approached  by  the  Arabs,  rendered  it,  in 
their  eyes,  a  paradise. 

Paul  Powis,  however,  though  he  maintained  a  cheerful  air, 
and  the  knowledge  that  he  had  been  so  instrumental  in  saving 
the  party  lightened  his  heart  of  a  load,  and  disposed  him  even 
to  gayety,  was  not  without  some  lingering  remains  of  uneasi 
ness.  He  remembered  the  boats  of  the  Dane,  and,  as  he  thought 
it  more  than  probable  Captain  Truck  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  barbarians,  he  feared  that  the  latter  might  yet  find  the 
means  to  lay  hands  on  themselves.  While  he  was  at  work  fit 
ting  the  rigging  and  preparing  a  jigger,  with  a  view  to  render 
the  launch  more  manageable,  he  cast  frequent  uneasy  glances 
to  the  northward,  with  a  feverish  apprehension  that  one  of  the 
so-long-wished-for  boats  might  at  length  appear.  Their  friends 
he  no  longer  expected,  but  his  fears  were  all  directed  towards 
the  premature  arrival  of  enemies  from  that  quarter.  None  ap 
peared,  however,  and  Saunders  actually  lighted  a  fire  on  the 
bank,  and  prepared  the  grateful  refreshment  of  tea  for  the  whole 


364  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

party  ;  none  of  which  had  tasted  food  since  morning,  though 
it  was  now  drawing  near  night. 

"  Our  caterers,"  said  Paul,  smiling,  as  he  cast  his  eyes  over 
the  repast  which  Ann  Sidley  had  spread  on  the  roof  of  the 
boat,  where  they  were  all  seated  on  stools,  boxes,  and  trunks, 
"  our  caterers  have  been  of  the  gentler  sex,  as  any  one  may 
see,  for  we  have  delicacies  that  are  fitter  for  a  banquet  than  a 
desert," 

"  I  thought  Miss  Eve  would  relish  them,  sir,"  Nanny  meekly 
excused  herself  by  saying ;  "  she  is  not  much  accustomed  to  a 
coarse  diet ;  and  rnamerzelle,  too,  likes  niceties,  as  I  believe  is 
the  case  with  all  of  French  extraction." 

Eve's  eyes  glistened,  though  she  felt  it  necessary  to  say  some 
thing  by  way  of  apology. 

"  Poor  Ann  has  been  so  long  accustomed  to  humor  the  capri 
ces  of  a  petted  girl,"  she  said,  "  that  I  fear  those  who  will  have 
occasion  for  all  their  strength  may  be  the  sufferers.  I  should 
regret  it  forever,  Mr.  Powis,  if  you,  who  are  every  way  of  so 
much  importance  to  us,  should  not  find  the  food  you  required." 

"  I  have  very  inadvertently  and  unwittingly  drawn  down  upon 
myself  the  suspicion  of  being  one  of  Mr.  Monday's  gourmets,  a 
plain  roast  and  boiled  person,"  the  young  man  answered  laugh 
ingly,  "  when  it  was  merely  my  desire  to  express  the  pleasure  I 
had  in  perceiving  that  those  whose  comfort  and  ease  are  of  more 
account  than  any  thing  else,  have  been  so  well  cared  for.  I 
could  almost  starve  with  satisfaction,  Miss  Effingham,  if  I  saw 
you  free  from  suffering  under  the  extraordinary  circumstances 
in  which  we  are  placed." 

Eve  looked  grateful,  and  the  emotion  excited  by  this  speech 
restored  all  that  beauty  which  had  so  lately  been  chilled  by 
fear. 

"  Did  I  not  hear  a  dialogue  between  you  and  Mr.  Saunders 
touching  the  merits  of  sundry  stores  that  had  been  left  in  the 
ship?"  asked  John  Effingham,  turning  to  Paul  by  way  of  reliev 
ing  his  cousin's  distress. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  365 

"  Indeed  you  might ;  he  relieved  the  time  we  were  rousing 
at  the  chains  with  a  beautiful  Jeremiad  on  the  calamities  of 
the  lockers.  I  fancy,  steward,  that  you  consider  the  misfortunes 
of  the  pantry  as  the  heaviest  disaster  that  has  befallen  the 
Montauk !" 

Saunders  seldom  smiled.  In  this  particular  he  resembled 
Captain  Truck ;  the  one  subduing  all  light  emotions  from  an 
inveterate  habit  of  serious  comicality,  and  the  responsibility  of 
command  ;  and  the  other  having  lost  most  of  his  disposition  to 
merriment,  as  the  cart-horse  loses  his  propensity  to  kick,  from 
being  overworked.  The  steward,  moreover,  had  taken  up  the 
conceit  that  it  was  indicative  of  a  "  nigger"  to  be  merry  ;  and, 
between  dignity,  a  proper  regard  to  his  color — which  was  about 
half-way  between  that  of  a  Gold  Coast  importation,  and  a  rice- 
plantation  overseer,  down  with  the  fever  in  his  third  season — 
and  dogged  submission  to  unmitigated  calls  on  his  time,  the 
prevailing  character  of  the  poor  fellow's  physiognomy  was  that 
of  a  dolorous  sentimentality.  He  believed  himself  to  be  ma 
terially  refined  by  having  had  so  much  intimate  communica 
tion  with  gentlemen  and  ladies  suffering  under  sea-sickness, 
and  he  knew  that  no  man  in  the  ship  could  use  language  like 
that  he  had  always  at  his  fingers'  ends.  While  so  strongly 
addicted  to  melancholy,  therefore,  he  was  fond  of  hearing 
himself  talk ;  and,  palpably  encouraged  as  he  had  now  been 
by  John  Effingham  and  Paul,  and  a  little  emboldened  by  the 
familiarity  of  a  shipwreck,  he  did  not  hesitate  about  mingling 
in  the  discourse,  though  holding  the  Effinghams  habitually  in 
awe. 

"  I  esteem  it  a  great  privilege,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  ob 
served,  as  soon  as  Paul  ceased,  "  to  have  the  honor  of  being 
wracked  (for  so  the  steward,  in  conformity  with  the  Doric  of  the 
forecastle,  pronounced  the  word)  in  such  company.  I  should 
deem  it  a  disgrace  to  be  cast  away  in  some  society  I  could  name, 
although  I  will  predicate,  as  we  say  in  America,  nothing  on  their 
absence.  As  to  what  inwolves  the  stores,  it  surgested  itself  to 


366  H  O  M  E  W  A  K  D      BOUND. 

me  that  the  ladies  would  like  delicate  diet,  and  I  intermated  as 
much  to  Mrs.  Sidley  and  t'other  French  waiting-woman.  Do  you 
imagine,  gentlemen,  that  the  souls  of  the  dead  are  permitted  to 
x>ok  back  at  such  evvents  of  this  life  as  touches  their  own  pri 
vate  concerns  and  feelings?" 

"  That  would  depend,  I  should  think,  steward,  on  the  nature 
of  the  employment  of  the  souls  themselves,"  returned  John 
Effingham.  "  There  must  be  certain  souls  to  which  any  occu 
pation  would  be  more  agreeable  than  that  of  looking  behind 
them.  But,  may  I  ask  why  you  inquire  ?" 

"Because,  Mr.  John  Effingham,  sir,  I  do  not  believe  Captain 
Truck  can  ever  be  happy  in  heaven,  as  long  as  the  ship  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Arabs  !  If  she  had  been  honorably  and  fairly 
wracked,  and  the  captain  suffercated  by  drowning,  he  could  go 
to  sleep  like  another  Christian  ;  but,  I  do  think,  sir,  if  there  be 
any  special  perdition  for  seamen,  it  must  be  to  see  their  vessel 
rummaged  by  Arabs.  I'll  warrant,  now,  those  blackguards 
have  had  their  fingers  in  every  thing  already ;  sugar,  chocolate, 
raisins,  coffee,  cakes,  and  all  !  I  wonder  who  they  think  would 
like  to  use  articles  they  have  handled  !  And  there  is  poor 
Toast,  gentlemen,  an  aspiring  and  improving  young  man ;  one 
who  had  the  materials  of  a  good  steward  in  him,  though  I  can 
hardly  say  they  were  completely  deweloped.  I  did  look  for 
ward  to  the  day  when  I  could  consign  him  to  Mr.  Leach  as 
my  osvn  predecessor,  when  Captain  Truck  and  I  should  re 
tire,  as  I  have  no  doubt  we  should  have  done  on  the  same 
day,  but  for  this  distressing  accident.  I  dewoutly  pray  that 
Toast  is  deceased,  for  I  would  rather  any  misfortune  should  be 
fall  him  in  the  other  world  than  that  he  should  be  compelled 
to  associate  with  Arab  niggers  in  this.  Dead  or  alive,  ladies,  ] 
am  an  advocate  for  a  man's  keeping  himself  respectable,  and  in 
proper  company." 

So  elastic  had  the  spirits  of  the  whole  become  by  their  un 
looked-for  escape,  that  Saunders  was  indulged  to  the  top  of 
his  humor,  and  while  he  served  the  meal,  passing  between  his 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  367 

fire  on  the  sands  and  the  roof  of  the  launch,  he  enjoyed  a 
heartier  gossip  than  any  he  had  had  since  they  left  the  dock;  not 
even  excepting  those  sniggering  scenes  with  Mr.  Toast  in  the 
pantry,  in  which  he  used  to  unbend  himself  a  little,  forgetting 
his  dignity  as  steward  in  the  native  propensities  of  the  black. 

Paul  Powis  entered  but  a  moment  into  the  trifling,  for  on 
him  rested  the  safety  of  all.  He  alone  could  navigate,  or  even 
manage  the  boat  in  rough  water  ;  and,  while  the  others  confided 
so  implicitly  in  his  steadiness  and  skill,  he  felt  the  usual  burden 
of  responsibility.  When  the  supper  was  ended,  and  the  party 
were  walking  up  and  down  the  little  islet  of  sand,  he  took  his 
station  on  the  roof,  therefore,  and  examined  the  proceedings  of 
the  Arabs  with  the  glass  ;  Mi'.  Sharp,  with  a  species  of  chival 
rous  self-denial  that  was  not  lost  on  his  companion,  foregoing 
the  happiness  of  walking  at  the  side  of  Eve,  to  remain  near  him. 

"  The  wretches  have  laid  waste  the  cabins  already  !"  observed 
Mr.  Sharp,  when  Paul  had  been  looking  at  the  ship  some  little 
time.  "  That  which  it  took  months  to  produce  they  will  destroy 
in  an  hour." 

"  I  do  not  see  that,"  returned  Paul ;  "  there  are  but  about  fifty 
in  the  ship,  and  their  efforts  seem  to  be  directed  to  hauling  her 
over  against  the  rocks.  They  have  no  means  of  landing  their 
plunder  where  she  lies  ;  and  I  suspect  there  is  a  sort  of  conven 
tion  that  all  are  to  start  fair.  One  or  two,  who  appear  to  be 
chiefs,  go  in  and  out  of  the  cabins ;  but  the  rest  are  actively 
engaged  in  endeavoring  to  move  the  ship." 

"  And  with  what  success  ?" 

"  None,  apparently.  It  exceeds  their  knowledge  of  mechanics 
to  force  so  heavy  a  mass  from  its  position.  The  wind  has  driven 
the  ship  firmly  on  the  bank,  and  nothing  short  of  the  windlass, 
or  capstan,  can  remove  her.  These  ignorant  creatures  have  got 
two  or  three  small  ropes  between  the  vessel  and  the  reef,  and 
are  pulling  fruitlessly  at  both  ends  !  But  our  chief  concern  will 
be  to  find  an  outlet  into  the  ocean,  when  we  will  make  the  best 
of  our  way  towards  the  Cape  de  Verds." 


368  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Paul  now  commenced  a  long  and  close  examination  of  the 
reef,  to  ascertain  by  what  openings  he  might  get  the  launch  on 
the  outside.  To  the  northward  of  the  great  inlet  there  was  a 
continued  line  of  rocks,  on  which  he  was  sorry  to  perceive  armed 
Arabs  beginning  to  show  themselves  ;  a  sign  that  the  barbarians 
still  entertained  the  hope  of  capturing  the  party.  Southward 
of  the  inlet  there  were  many  places  in  which  a  boat  might  pass 
at  half-tide,  and  he  trusted  to  getting  through  one  of  them  as 
soon  as  it  became  dark.  As  the  escape  in  the  boat  could  not 
have  been  foreseen,  the  Arabs  had  not  yet  brought  down  upon 
them  the  boats  of  the  wreck ;  but  should  morning  dawn  and 
find  them  still  within  the  reef,  he  saw  no  hope  of  final  escape 
against  boats  that  would  possess  the  advantage  of  oars,  ignorant 
as  the  barbarians  might  be  of  their  proper  use. 

Every  thing  was  now  ready.  The  interior  of  the  launch  was 
divided  into  two  apartments  by  counterpanes,  trunks,  and 
boxes ;  the  females  spreading  their  mattresses  in  the  forward 
room,  and  the  males  in  the  other.  Some  of  those  profound  in 
terpreters  of  the  law,  who  illustrate  legislation  by  the  devices  of 
trade,  had  shipped  in  the  Montauk  several  hundred  rude  leaden 
busts  of  Napoleon,  with  a  view  to  save  the  distinction  in  duties 
between  the  metal  manufactured  and  the  metal  unmanufactured. 
Four  or  five  of  these  busts  had  been  struck  into  the  launch  as 
ballast.  They  were  now  snugly  stowed,  together  with  the 
water,  and  all  the  heavier  articles,  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 
The  jigger  had  been  made  and  bent,  and  a  suitable  mast  was 
stepped  by  means  of  the  roof.  In  short,  every  provision  for 
comfort  or  safety  that  Paul  could  think  of  had  been  attended 
to;  and  every  thing  was  in  readiness  to  re-embark  as  soon  as 
the  proper  hour  should  arrive. 

The  gentler  portion  of  the  party  were  seated  on  the  edge  of 
the  roof,  watching  the  setting  sun,  and  engaged  in  a  discourse 
with  feelings  more  attempered  to  their  actual  condition  than 
had  been  the  case  immediately  after  their  escape.  The  evening 
had  a  little  of  that  wild  and  watery  aspect  which,  about  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  369 

same  hour,  had  given  Captain  Truck  so  much  concern ;  but  the 
sun  dipped  gorgeously  into  the  liquid  world  of  the  West,  and 
the  whole  scene,  including  the  endless  desert,  the  black  reef,  the 
stranded  ship,  and  the  movements  of  the  bustling  Arabs,  was 
one  of  gloomy  grandeur. 

"  Could  we  foretell  the  events  of  a  month,"  said  John  Effing- 
ham,  "  with  what  different  feelings  from  the  present  would  life 
be  checkered  !  When  we  left  London,  the  twenty  days  since, 
our  eyes  and  minds  were  filled  with  the  movements,  cares,  re 
finements,  and  interest  of  a  great  and  polished  capital,  and  here 
we  sit,  houseless  wanderers,  gazing  at  an  eventide  on  the  coast 
of  Africa  !  In  this  way,  young  men,  and  young  ladies  too,  will 
you  find,  as  life  glides  away,  that  the  future  Avill  disappoint  the 
expectations  of  the  present  moment !" 

"  All  futures  are  not  gloomy,  cousin  Jack,"  said  Eve ;  "  nor 
is  all  hope  doomed  to  meet  with  disappointment.  A  merciful 
God  cares  for  us  when  we  are  reduced  to  despair  on  our  own 
account,  and  throws  a  ray  of  unexpected  light  on  our  darkest 
hours.  Certainly  we,  of  all  his  creatures,  ought  not  to  deny 
this !" 

"  I  do  not  deny  it.-  We  have  been  rescued  in  a  manner  so 
simple  as  to  seem  unavoidable,  and  yet  so  unexpected  as  to  be 
almost  miraculous.  Had  not  Mr.  Blunt,  or  Mr.  Powis,  as  you 
call  him — although  I  am  not  in  the  secret  of  the  masquerade — 
but,  had  not  this  gentleman  been  a  seaman,  it  would  have  sur 
passed  all  our  means  to  get  this  boat  into  the  water,  or  even 
to  use  her  properly  were  she  even  launched.  I  look  upon  his 
profession  as  being  the  first  great  providential  interference,  or 
provision,  in  our  behalf ;  and  his  superior  skill  and  readiness 
in  that  profession  as  a  circumstance  of  no  less  importance 
to  us." 

Eve  was  silent ;  but  the  glow  in  the  western  sky  was  scarcely 
more  radiant  and  bright  than  the  look  she  cast  on  the  subject 
of  the  remark. 

"  It  is  no  great  merit  to  be  a  seaman,  for  the  trade  is  like 
16* 


370  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

another,  a  mere  matter  of  practice  and  education,"  observed 
Paul,  after  a  moment  of  awkward  hesitation.  "  If,  as  you  say, 
I  have  been  instrumental  in  serving  you,  I  shall  never  regret 
the  accidents — cruel  accidents  of  my  early  life  I  had  almost 
called  them — that  cast  my  fortunes  so  early  on  the  ocean." 

A  falling  pin  would  have  been  heard,  and  all  hoped  the 
young  man  would  proceed  ;  but  he  chose  to  be  silent.  Saunders 
happened  to  overhear  the  remark,  for  he  was  aiding  Ann  Sidley 
in  the  boat,  and  he  took  up  the  subject  where  it  was  left  by 
the  other,  in  a  little  aside  with  his  companion. 

"  It  is  a  misfortune  that  Mr.  Dodge  is  not  here  to  question 
the  gentleman,"  said  the  steward  to  his  assistant,  "  and  then 
we  might  hear  more  of  his  adwentures,  which,  I  make  no  doubt, 
have  been  werry  pathetic  and  romantical.  Mr.  Dodge  is  a 
genuine  inquisitor,  Mistress  Ann  ;  not  such  an  inquisitor  as 
burns  people  and  flays  them  in  Spain,  where  I  have  been,  but 
such  an  inquisitor  as  torments  people,  and  of  whom  we  have 
lots  in  America." 

"  Let  the  poor  man  rest  in  peace,"  said  Nanny,  sighing. 
"  He's  gone  to  his  great  account,  steward  ;  and  I  fear  we  shall 
none  of  us  make  as  good  a  figure  as  we  might  at  the  final 
settling.  Besides  Miss  Eve,  I  never  knew  a  mortal  that  wasn't 
more  or  less  a  sinner." 

"  So  they  all  say ;  and  I  must  allowr  that  my  experience  leans 
to  the  wicked  side  of  the  question.  Captain  Truck,  now,  was 
a  worthy  man  ;  but  he  had  his  faults,  as  well  as  Toast.  In  the 
first  place,  he  would  swear  when  things  took  him  aback ;  and 
then,  he  had  no  prewarication  about  speaking  his  mind  of  a 
fellow-creature,  if  the  coffee  happened  to  be  thick,  or  the  poul 
try  didn't  take  fat  kindly.  I've  known  him  box  the  compass 
with  oaths  if  the  ship  was  got  in  irons." 

"  It's  very  sinful ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  poor  man 
was  made  to  think  of  all  this  in  his  latter  moments." 

"  If  the  Arabs  undertook  to  cannibalize  him,  I  think  he  must 
have  given  it  to  them  right  and  left,"  continued  Saunders, 


HOMEWAKD      BOUND.  371 

wiping  an  eye,  for  between"  him  and  the  captain  there  had  ex 
isted  some  such  affection  as  the  prisoner  comes  to  feel  for  the 
handcuffs  with  which  he  amuses  his  ennui'  "some  of  his  oaths 
would  choke  a  dog." 

"  Well,  let  him  rest — let  him  rest.  Providence  is  kind,  and 
the  poor  man  may  have  repented  in  season." 

"  And  Toast,  too  !  I'm  sure,  Mrs.  Ann,  I  forgive  Toast  all  the 
little  mistakes  he  made,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and  par 
ticularly  that  affair  of  the  beefsteak  that  he  let  fall  into  the 
coffee  the  morning  that  Captain  Truck  took  me  so  flat  aback 
about  it ;  and  I  pray  most  dewoutly  that  the  captain,  now  he 
has  dropped  this  mortal  coil,  and  that  there  is  nothing  left  of 
him  but  soul,  may  not  find  it  out,  lest  it  should  breed  ill-blood 
between  them  in  heaven." 

"  Steward,  you  scarcely  know  what  you  say,"  interrupted 
Ann,  shocked  at  his  ignorance,  u  and  I  will  speak  of  it  no 
more." 

Mr.  Saunders  was  compelled  to  acquiesce,  and  he  amused 
himself  by  listening  to  what  was  said  by  those  on  the  roof. 
As  Paul  did  not  choose  to  explain  farther,  however,  the  con 
versation  was  resumed  as  if  he  had  said  nothing.  They  talked 
of  their  escape,  their  hopes,  and  of  the  supposed  fate  of  the  rest 
of  the  party ;  the  discourse  leaving  a  feeling  of  sadness  on  all, 
that  harmonized  with  the  melancholy  but  not  unpicturesque 
scene  in  which  they  were  placed.  At  length  the  night  set  in; 
and  as  it  threatened  to  be  dark  and  damp,  the  ladies  early 
made  their  arrangements  to  retire.  The  gentlemen  remained 
on  the  sands  much  later ;  and  it  was  ten  o'clock  before  Paul 
Powis  and  Mr.  Sharp,  who  had  assumed  the  watch,  were  left 
alone. 

This  was  about  an  hour  later  than  the  period  already  de 
scribed  as  the  moment  when  Captain  Truck  disposed  himself 
to  sleep  in  the  launch  of  the  Dane.  The  weather  had  sensibly 
altered  in  the  brief  interval,  and  there  were  signs  that,  to  the 
understanding  of  our  young  seaman,  denoted  a  change,  The 


372  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

darkness  was  intense.  So  deep  and  pitchy  black,  indeed,  had 
the  night  become,  that  even  the  land  was  no  longer  to  be  dis 
tinguished,  and  the  only  clues  the  two  gentlemen  had  to  its 
position,  were  the  mouldering  watch-fires  of  the  Arab  camp, 
and  the  direction  of  the  wind. 

"  We  will  now  make  an  attempt,"  said  Paul,  stopping  in  his 
short  walk  on  the  sand,  and  examining  the  murky  vault  over 
head.  "  Midnight  is  near,  and  by  two  o'clock  the  tide  will  be 
entirely  up.  It  is  a  dark  night  to  thread  these  narrow  channels 
in,  and  to  go  out  upon  the  ocean,  too,  in  so  frail  a  bark  !  But 
the  alternative  is  worse." 

"Would  it  not  be  better  to  allow  the  water  to  rise  still 
higher  ?  I  see  by  these  sands  that  it  has  not  yet  done  coming 
in." 

"  There  is  not  much  tide  in  these  low  latitudes,  and  the  little 
rise  that  is  left  may  help  us  off  a  bank,  should  we  strike  one. 
If  you  will  get  upon  the  roof,  I  will  bring  in  the  grapnels  and 
force  the  boat  off." 

Mr.  Sharp  complied,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  launch  was 
floating  slowly  away  from  the  hospitable  bank  of  sand.  Paul 
hauled  out  the  jigger,  a  small  spritsail,  that  kept  itself  close- 
hauled  from  being  fastened  to  a  stationary  boom,  and  a  little 
mast  stepped  quite  aft,  the  effect  of  which  was  to  press  the 
boat  against  the  wind.  This  brought  the  launch's  head  up, 
and  it  was  just  possible  to  see,  by  close  attention,  that  they  had 
a  slight  motion  through  the  water. 

"  I  quit  that  bank  of  sand  as  one  quits  a  tried  friend,"  said 
Paul,  all  the  conversation  now  being  in  little  more  than  whis 
pers  :  "  when  near  it,  I  know  where  we  are ;  but  presently  we 
shall  be  absolutely  lost  in  this  intense  darkness." 

"  We  have  the  fires  of  the  Arabs  for  lighthouses  still." 

"  They  may  give  us  some  faint  notions  of  our  position ;  but 
light  like  that  is  a  very  treacherous  guide  in  so  dark  a  night. 
We  have  little  else  to  do  but  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  water,  and 
to  endeavor  to  get  to  windward." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  373 

Paul  set  the  lug-sail,  intQ  which  he  had  converted  the  royal, 
and  seated  himself  directly  in  the  eyes  of  the  boat,  with  a  leg- 
hanging  down  on  each  side  of  the  cutwater.  He  had  rigged 
lines  to  the  tiller,  and  with  one  in  each  hand,  he  steered  as 
if  managing  a  boat  with  yoke-lines.  Mr.  Sharp  was  seated  at 
hand,  holding  the  sheet  of  the  mainsail ;  a  boat-hook  and  a 
light  spar  lying  on  the  roof  near  by,  in  readiness  to  be  used 
should  they  ground. 

While  on  the  bank,  Paul  had  observed  that  by  keeping  the 
boat  near  the  wind,  he  might  stretch  through  one  of  the  widest 
of  the  channels  for  near  two  miles,  unless  disturbed  by  currents, 
and  that  when  at  its  southern  end,  he  should  be  far  enough  to 
windward  to  fetch  the  inlet,  but  for  the  banks  of  sand  that 
might  lie  in  his  way.  The  distance  had  prevented  his  discern 
ing  any  passage  through  the  reef  at  the  farther  end  of  this 
channel ;  but  the  boat  drawing  only  two  feet  of  water,  he  was 
not  without  hopes  of  being  able  to  find  one.  A  chasm,  that 
was  deep  enough  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  Arabs  when  the 
tide  was  in,  would,  he  thought,  certainly  suffice  for  their  pur 
pose.  The  progress  of  the  boat  was  steady,  and  reasonably 
fast ;  but  it  was  like  moving  in  a  mass  of  obscurity.  The  gen 
tlemen  watched  the  water  ahead  intently,  with  a  view  to  avoid 
the  banks,  but  with  little  success ;  for,  as  they  advanced,  it  was 
merely  one  pile  of  gloom  succeeding  another.  Fortunately  the 
previous  observation  of  Paul  availed  them,  and  for  more  than 
half  an  hour  their  progress  was  uninterrupted. 

"  They  sleep  in  security  beneath  us,"  said  Paul,  "  while  we 
are  steering  almost  at  random.  This  is  a  strange  and  hazard 
ous  situation  in  which  we  are  placed.  The  obscurity  renders 
all  the  risks  double." 

"  By  the  watch-fires,  we  must  have  nearly  crossed  the  bay, 
and  I  should  think  we  are  now  quite  near  the  southern  reef." 

"  I  think  the  same  ;  but  I  like  not  this  baffling  of  the  wind. 
It  comes  fresher  at  moments,  but  it  is  in  puffs,  and  I  fear  there 
will  be  a  shift.  It  is  now  my  best  pilot." 


374  II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND. 

"  That  and  the  fires." 

"  The  fires  are  treacherous  always.  It  looks  darker  than 
ever  ahead !" 

The  wind  ceased  blowing  altogether,  and  the  sail  fell  in 
heavily.  Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  launch  lost  its  way, 
and  Paul  had  time  to  thrust  the  boat-hook  forward  just  in  sea 
son  to  prevent  its  striking  a  rock. 

"  This  is  a  part  of  the  reef,  then,  that  is  never  covered,"  sai'u 
he.  "  If  you  will  get  on  the  rocks  and  hold  the  boat,  I  will  en 
deavor  to  examine  the  place  for  a  passage.  Were  we  one  hun 
dred  feet  to  the  southward  and  westward,  we  should  be  in  the 
open  ocean,  and  comparatively  safe." 

Mr.  Sharp  complied,  and  Paul  descended  carefully  on  the 
reef,  feeling  his  way  in  the  intense  darkness  by  means  of  the 
boat-hook.  He  was  absent  ten  minutes,  moving  with  great  cau 
tion,  as  there  was  the  danger  of  his  falling  into  the  sea  at  every 
step.  His  friend  began  to  be  uneasy,  and  the  whole  of  the 
jeopardy  of  their  situation  presented  itself  vividly  to  his  mind 
in  that  brief  space  of  time,  should  accident  befall  their  only 
guide.  He  was  looking  anxiously  in  the  direction  in  which 
Paul  had  disappeared,  when  he  felt  a  gripe  of  his  arm. 

u  Breathe  even  with  care !"  whispered  Paul  hurriedly. 
"  These  rocks  are  covered  with  Arabs,  who  have  chosen  to  re 
main  on  the  dry  parts  of  the  reef,  in  readiness  for  their  plunder 
in  the  morning.  Thank  Heaven  !  I  have  found  you  again  ;  for 
I  was  beginning  to  despair.  To  have  called  to  you  would  have 
been  certain  capture,  as  eight  or  ten  of  the  barbarians  are  sleep 
ing  within  fifty  feet  of  us.  Get  on  the  roof  with  the  least  pos 
sible  noise,  and  leave  the  rest  to  me." 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Sharp  was  in  the  boat,  Paul  gave  it  a  violent 
shove  from  the  rocks,  and  sprang  on  the  roof  at  the  same  mo 
ment.  This  forced  the  launch  astern,  and  procured  a  momen 
tary  safety.  But  the  wind  had  shifted.  It  now  came  baffling, 
and  in  puffs,  from  the  Desert,  a  circumstance  that  brought  them 
again  to  leeward. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  375 

"  This  is  the  commencement  of  the  trades,"  said  Paul :  "they 
have  been  interrupted  by  the  late  gale,  but  are  returning.  Were 
we  outside  the  reef,  our  prayers  could  not  be  more  kindly  an 
swered  than  by  giving  us  this  very  wind ;  but  here,  where  we 
are,  it  comes  unseasonably.  Ha ! — this,  at  least,  helps  her  !" 

A  puff  from  the  land  filled  the  sails,  and  the  ripple  of  the 
water  at  the  stern  was  just  audible.  The  helm  was  attended  to, 
and  the  boat  drew  slowly  from  the  reef  and  ahead. 

"We  have  all  reason  for  gratitude!  That  danger,  at  least, 
is  avoided.  Ha !  the  boat  is  aground  !" 

Sure  enough,  the  launch  was  on  the  sands.  They  were  still 
so  near  the  rocks  as  to  require  the  utmost  caution  in  their  pro 
ceedings.  Using  the  spar  with  great  care,  the  gentlemen  dis 
covered  that  the  boat  hung  astern,  and  there  remained  no 
choice  but  patience. 

"  It  is  fortunate  the  Arabs  have  no  dogs  with  them  on  the 
rocks :  you  hear  them  howling  incessantly  in  their  camps." 

u  ft  is  truly.  Think  you  we  can  ever  find  the  inlet  in  this 
deep  obscurity  ?" 

"  It  is  our  only  course.  By  following  the  rocks  we  should 
be  certain  to  discover  it ;  but  you  perceive  they  are  already  out 
of  sight,  though  they  cannot  be  thirty  fathoms  from  us.  The 
helm  is  free,  and  the  boat  must  be  clear  of  the  bottom  again. 
This  last  puff  has  helped  us." 

Another  silence  succeeded,  during  which  the  launch  moved 
slowly  onward,  though  whither,  neither  of  the  gentlemen  could 
tell.  But  a  single  fire  remained  in  sight,  and  that  glimmered 
like  a  dying  blaze.  At  times  the  wind  came  hot  and  arid,  sa 
voring  of  the  Desert,  and  then  intervals  of  death-like  calm 
would  follow.  Paul  watched  the  boat  narrowly  for  half  an 
hour,  turning  every  breath  of  air  to  the  best  account,  though 
he  was  absolutely  ignorant  of  his  position.  The  reef  had  not 
been  seen  again,  and  three  several  times  they  grounded,  the 
tide  as  often  floating  them  off.  The  course,  too,  had  been  re 
peatedly  varied.  The  result  was,  that  painful  and  profound 


376  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

sensation  of  helplessness  that  overcomes  us  all  when  the  chain 
of  association  is  broken,  and  reason  becomes  an  agent  less  use 
ful  than  instinct. 

"  The  last  fire  is  out,"  whispered  Paul.  "  I  fear  that  the  day 
will  dawn  and  find  us  still  within  the  reef." 

"  I  see  an  object  near  us.     Can  it  be  a  high  bank  ?" 

The  wind  had  entirely  ceased,  and  the  boat  was  almost  with 
out  motion.  Paul  saw  a  darkness  more  intense  even  than  com 
mon  ahead  of  him,  and  he  leaned  forward,  naturally  raising  a 
hand  before  him  in  precaution.  Something  he  touched,  he 
knew  not  what ;  but  feeling  a  hard  smooth  surface,  that  he  at 
first  mistook  for  a  rock,  he  raised  his  eyes  slowly,  and  discerned, 
by  the  little  light  that  lingered  in  the  vault  of  heaven,  a  dim 
tracery  that  he  recognized.  His  hand  was  on  the  quarter  of 
the  ship ! 

'"Tis  the  Montauk!"  he  whispered  breathlessly,  "and  her 
decks  must  be  covered  with  Arabs.  Hist! — do  you  hear 
nothing  ?" 

They  listened ;  and  smothered  voices,  those  of  the  watch, 
mingled  with  low  laughter,  were  quite  audible.  This  was  a 
crisis  to  disturb  the  coolness  of  one  less  trained  and  steady  than 
Paul ;  but  he  preserved  his  self-possession. 

"There  is  good  as  well  as  evil  in  this,"  he  whispered.  "I 
now  know  our  precise  position  ;  and,  God  be  praised !  the  inlet 
is  near,  could  we  but  reach  it. — By  a  strong  shove  we  can 
always  force  the  launch  from  the  vessel's  side,  and  prevent  their 
boarding  us ;  and  I  think,  with  extreme  caution,  we  may  even 
haul  the  boat  past  the  ship  undetected." 

This  delicate  task  was  undertaken.  It  was  necessary  to 
avoid  even  a  tread  heavier  than  common,  a  fall  of  the  boat- 
hook,  or  a  collision  with  the  vessel,  as  the  slightest  noise  be 
came  distinctly  audible  in  the  profound  stillness  of  deep  night. 
Once  enlightened  as  to  his  real  position,  however,  Paul  saw 
with  his  mind's  eye  obstructions  that  another  might  not  have 
avoided.  He  knew  exactly  where  to  lay  his  hand,  when  to 


HOMEWARD      BOUND 


377 


bear  off,  and  when  to  approach  nearer  to  the  side  of  the  ship, 
as  he  warily  drew  the  boat  along  the  massive  hull. — The  yard 
of  the  launch  luckily  leaned  towards  the  reef,  and  offered  no 
impediment.  In  this  manner,  then,  the  two  gentlemen  hauled 
their  boat  as  far  as  the  bows  of  the  ship,  and  Paul  was  on  the 
point  of  giving  a  last  push,  with  a  view  to  shove  it  to  as  great 
a  distance  as  possible  ahead  of  the  packet,  when  its  movement 
was  suddenly  and  violently  arrested. 


!78  HOMEWARD       BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

"And  when  the  hours  of  rest 
Come,  like  a  calm  upon  the  mid-sea  brine, 

Hushing  its  billowy  breast — 
The  quiet  of  that  moment,  too,  is  thine ; 

It  breathes  of  Him  who  keeps 
The  vast  and  helpless  city  while  it  sleeps." 

BRYAXT. 

IT  was  chilling  to  meet  with  this  unexpected  and  sudden 
check  at  so  critical  a  moment.  The  first  impression  was,  that 
some  one  of  the  hundreds  of  Arabs,  who  were  known  to  be 
near,  had  laid  a  hand  on  the  launch ;  but  this  fear  vanished  on 
examination.  No  one  was  visible,  and  the  side  of  the  boat  was 
untouched.  The  boat-hook  could  find  no  impediment  in  the 
water,  and  it  was  not  possible  that  they  could  again  be  aground. 
Raising  the  boat-hook  over  his  head,  Paul  soon  detected  the 
obstacle.  The  line  used  by  the  barbarians  in  their  efforts  to 
move  the  ship,  was  stretched  from  the  forecastle  to  the  reef,  and 
it  lay  against  the  boat's  mast.  It  was  severed  with  caution  ; 
but  the  short  end  slipped  from  the  hand  of  Mr.  Sharp,  who  cut 
the  rope,  and  fell  into  the  water.  The  noise  was  heard,  and 
the  watch  on  the  deck  of  the  ship  made  a  rush  towards  her 
side. 

No  time  was  to  be  lost ;  but  Paul,  who  still  held  the  outer 
end  of  the  line,  pulled  on  it  vigorously,  hauling  the  boat 
swiftly  from  the  ship,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  little  in  ad 
vance.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  he  dropped  the  line  and 
seized  the  tiller-ropes,  in  order  to  keep  the  launch's  head  in 
a  direction  between  the  two  dangers — the  ship  and  the  reef. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  37£> 

This  was  not  done  without  some  little  noise  ;  the  footfall  on 
the  roof,  and  the  plash  of  the  water  when  it  received  the  line, 
were  audible  ;  and  even  the  element  washing  under  the  bows 
of  the  boat  was  heard.  The  Arabs  of  the  ship  called  to  those 
on  the  reef,  and  the  latter  answered.  They  took  the  alarm, 
and  awoke  their  comrades,  for,  knowing  as  they  did  that  the 
party  of  Captain  Truck  was  still  at  liberty,  they  apprehended 
an  attack. 

The  clamor  and  uproar  that  succeeded  were  terrific.  Mus 
kets  were  discharged  at  random,  and  the  noises  from  the  camp 
echoed  the  cries  and  tumult  from  the  vessel  and  the  rocks. 
Those  who  had  been  sleeping  in  the  boat  were  rudely  awaked, 
and  Saunders  joined  in  the  cries  through  sheer  fright.  But 
the  two  gentlemen  on  deck  soon  caused  their  companions  to 
understand  their  situation,  and  to  observe  a  profound  silence. 

"  They  do  not  appear  to  see  us,"  whispered  Paul  to  Eve,  as 
he  bent  over,  so  as  to  put  his  head  at  an  open  window  ;  "  and 
a  return  of  the  breeze  may  still  save  us.  There  is  a  great  alarm 
among  them,  and  no  doubt  they  know  we  are  not  distant ;  but 
so  long  as  they  cannot  tell  precisely  where,  we  are  compara 
tively  safe.  Their  cries  do  us  good  service  as  landmarks,  and 
you  may  be  certain  I  shall  not  approach  the  spots  where  they 
are  heard.  Pray  Heaven  for  a  wind,  dearest  Miss  Effingham, 
pray  Heaven  for  a  wind  !" 

Eve  silently,  but  fervently,  did  pray,  while  the  young  man 
gave  all  his  attention  again  to  the  boat.  As  soon  as  they  were 
clear  of  the  lee  of  the  ship,  the  baffling  puffs  returned,  and 
there  were  several  minutes  of  a  steady  little  breeze,  during 
which  the  boat  sensibly  moved  away  from  the  noises  of  the 
ship.  On  the  reef,  however,  the  clamor  still  continued,  and  the 
gentlemen  were  soon  satisfied  that  the  Arabs  had  stationed 
themselves  along  the  whole  line  of  rocks,  wherever  the  latter 
were  bare  at  high  water,  as  was  now  nearly  the  case,  to  the 
northward  as  well  as  to  the  southward  of  the  opening. 

"  The  tide  is  still  entering  by  the  inlet,"  said  Paul,  "and  we 


380  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

have  its  current  to  contend  with.  It  is  not  strong,  but  a  trifle 
is  important  at  a  moment  like  this." 

"Would  it  not  be  possible  to  reach  the  bank  inside  of  us, 
and  to  shove  the  boat  ahead  by  means  of  these  light  spars  ?" 
asked  Mr.  Sharp. 

The  suggestion  was  a  good  one  ;  but  Paul  was  afraid  the 
noise  in  the  water  might  reach  the  Arabs,  and  expose  the  party 
to  their  fire,  as  the  utmost  distance  between  the  reef  and  the 
inner  bank  at  that  particular  spot  did  not  exceed  a  hundred 
fathoms.  At  length  another  puff  of  air  from  the  land  pressed 
upon  their  sails,  and  the  water  once  more  rippled  beneath  the 
bows  of  the  boat.  Paul's  heart  beat  hard,  and,  as  he  managed 
the  tiller-lines,  he  strained  his  eyes  uselessly  in  order  to  pene 
trate  the  massive-looking  darkness. 

"  Surely,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Sharp,  who  stood  constantly  at  his 
elbow,  "these  cries  are  directly  ahead  of  us  !  We  are  steering 
for  the  Arabs !" 

"  We  have  got  wrong  in  the  dark,  then.  Lose  not  a  mo 
ment  to  keep  the  boat  away,  for  here  to  leeward  there  are 
noises." 

As  all  this  was  self-evident,  though  confused  in  his  reckon 
ing,  Paul  put  up  the  helm,  and  the  boat  fell  off  nearly  dead 
before  the  wind.  Her  motion  being  now  comparatively  rapid, 
a  few  minutes  produced  an  obvious  change  in  the  direction  of 
the  different  groups  of  clamorous  Arabs,  though  they  also 
brought  a  material  lessening  in  the  force  of  the  air. 

"I  have  it!"  said  Paul,  grasping  his  companion  almost 
convulsively  by  the  arm.  "  AVe  are  at  the  inlet,  and  heading, 
I  trust,  directly  through  it !  You  hear  the  cries  on  our  right ; 
they  come  from  the  end  of  the  northern  reef,  while  these  on 
our  left  are  from  the  end  of  the  southern.  The  sounds  from 
the  ship,  the  direction  of  the  land  breeze,  our  distance — all 
confirm  it,  and  Providence  again  befriends  us !" 

"  It  will  be  a  fearful  error  should  we  be  mistaken  i" 

"  We  cannot  be  deceived,  since  nothing  else  will  explain  the 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  381 

circumstances.  There  ! — the  boat  feels  the  ground-swell — a 
blessed  and  certain  sign  that  we  are  at  the  inlet !  Would  that 
this  tide  were  done,  or  that  we  had  more  wind !" 

Fifteen  feverish  minutes  succeeded.  At  moments  the  puffs 
of  night-air  would  force  the  boat  ahead,  and  then  again  it  was 
evident,  by  the  cries,  that  she  fell  astern  under  the  influence  of 
an  adverse  current.  Neither  was  it  easy  to  keep  her  on  the 
true  course,  for  the  slightest  variation  from  the  direct  line  in  a 
tide's  way  causes  a  vessel  to  sheer.  To  remedy  the  latter  dan 
ger,  Paul  was  obliged  to  watch  his  helm  closely,  having  no 
other  guide  than  the  noisy  and  continued  vociferations  of  the 
Arabs. 

"  These  liftings  of  the  boat  are  full  of  hope,"  resumed  Paul  *, 
"  I  think,  too,  that  they  increase." 

"  I  perceive  but  little  difference,  though  I  would  gladly  see 
all  you  wish." 

"  I  am  certain  the  swell  increases,  and  that  the  boat  rises 
and  falls  more  frequently.  You  will  allow  there  is  a  swell  ?" 

"  Quite  obviously :  I  perceived  it  before  we  kept  the  boat 
away.  This  variable  air  is  cruelly  tantalizing." 

"  Sir  George  Templemore — Mr.  Powis,"  said  a  soft  voice  at 
a  window  beneath  them. 

"  Miss  Effingham !"  said  Paul,  so  eager  that  he  suffered  the 
tiller-line  to  escape  him. 

"These  are  frightful  cries  !  Shall  we  never  be  rid  of 
them  ?" 

"  If  it  depended  on  me — on  either  of  us — they  should  dis 
tress  you  no  more.  The  boat  is  slowly  entering  the  inlet,  but 
has  to  struggle  with  a  head  tide.  The  wind  baffles,  and  is  light, 
or  in  ten  minutes  we  should  be  out  of  danger." 

"  Out  of  this  danger,  but  only  to  encounter  another !" 

"  Nay,  I  do  not  think  much  of  the  risk  of  the  ocean  in  so 
stout  a  boat.  At  the  most,  we  may  be  compelled  to  cut  away 
the  roof,  which  makes  our  little  bark  somewhat  clumsy  in  ap 
pearance,  though  it  adds  infinitely  to  its  comfort.  T  think  we 


382  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

shall  soon  get  the  trades,  before  which  our  launch,  with  its 
house  even,  will  be  able  to  make  good  weather." 

"We  are  certainly  nearer  those  cries  than  before!'' 

Paul  felt  his  cheek  glow,  and  his  hand  hurriedly  sought  the 
tiller-line,  for  the  boat  had  sensibly  sheered  towards  the  north 
ern  reef.  A  puff  of  air  helped  to  repair  his  oversight,  and  all 
in  the  launch  soon  perceived  that  the  cries  were  gradually  but 
distinctly  drawing  more  aft. 

"The  current  lessens,"  said  Paul,  "and  it  is  full  time;  for  it 
must  be  near  high  water.  We  shall  soon  feel  it  in  our  favor, 
when  all  will  be  safe." 

"  This  is  indeed  blessed  tidings ;  and  no  gratitude  can  ever 
repay  the  debt  we  owe  you,  Mi1.  Powis." 

The  puffs  of  air  now  required  all  the  attention  of  Paul,  for 
they  again  became  variable,  and  at  last  the  wind  drew  directly 
ahead  in  a  continued  current  for  half  an  hour.  As  soon  as  this 
change  was  felt,  the  sails  were  trimmed  to  it,  and  the  boat  be 
gan  to  stir  the  water  under  her  bows. 

u  The  shift  was  so  sudden,  that  we  cannot  be  mistaken  in  its 
direction,"  Paul  remarked ;  "  besides,  those  cries  still  serve  as 
pilots.  Never  was  uproar  more  agreeable." 

"  I  feel  the  bottom  with  this  spar !"  said  Mr.  Sharp  suddenly. 

"  Merciful  Providence,  protect  and  shield  the  weak  and 
lovely—" 

"  Nay,  I  feel  it  no  longer :  we  are  already  in  deeper  water." 

"It  was  the  rock  on  which  the  seamen  stood  when  we  enter 
ed!"  Paul  exclaimed,  breathing  more  freely.  "I  like  those 
voices  settling  more  under  our  lee,  too.  We  will  keep  this 
tack"  (the  boat's  head  was  to  the  northward)  "  until  we  hit  the 
reef,  unless  warned  off  again  by  the  cries." 

The  boat  now  moved  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  in  the  hour,  or 
faster  than  a  man  walks,  even  when  in  quick  motion.  Its  ris 
ing  and  falling  denoted  the  long  heavy  swell  of  the  ocean,  and 
the  wash  of  water  began  to  be  more  and  more  audible,  as  she 
Bettled  into  the  sluggish  swells. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  383 

"That  sounds  like  the  &urf  on  the  reef,"  continued  Paul; 
"  every  thing  denotes  the  outside  of  the  rocks." 

"  God  send  it  prove  so  !" 

"That  is  clearly  a  sea  breaking  on  a  rock  !  It  is  awkwardly 
near,  and  to  leeward,  and  yet  it  is  sweet  to  the  ear  as  music." 

The  boat  stood  steadily  on,  making  narrow  escapes  from 
jutting  rocks,  as  was  evinced  by  the  sounds,  and  once  or  twice 
by  the  sight  even ;  but  the  cries  shifted  gradually,  and  were 
soon  quite  astern.  Paul  knew  that  the  reef  trended  east  soon 
after  passing  the  inlet,  and  he  felt  the  hope  that  they  were  fast 
leaving  its  western  extremity,  or  the  part  that  ran  the  farthest 
into  the  ocean ;  after  effecting  which,  there  would  be  more 
water  to  leeward,  his  own  course  being  nearly  north,  as  he  sup 
posed. 

The  cries  drew  still  farther  aft,  and  more  distant,  and  the 
sullen  wash  of  the  surf  was  no  longer  so  near  as  to  seem  fresh 
and  tangible. 

"  Hand  me  the  lead  and  line,  that  lie  at  the  foot  of  the  mast, 
if  you  please,"  said  Paul.  "  Our  water  seems  sensibly  to  deepen, 
and  the  seas  have  become  more  regular." 

He  hove  a  cast,  and  found  six  fathoms  of  water;  a  proof,  he 
thought,  that  they  were  quite  clear  of  the  reef. 

"Now,  dear  Mr.  Effingham,  Miss  Effingham,  mademoiselle," 
he  cried  cheerfully,  "  now  I  believe  we  may  indeed  deem  our 
selves  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Arabs,  unless  a  gale  force  us 
again  on  their  inhospitable  shores." 

"  Is  it  permitted  to  speak  ?"  asked  Mr.  Effingham,  who  had 
maintained  a  steady  but  almost  breathless  silence. 

"  Freely  :  we  are  quite  beyond  the  reach  of  the  voice  ;  and 
this  wind,  though  blowing  from  a  quarter  I  do  not  like,  is  carry 
ing  us  away  from  the  wretches  rapidly." 

It  was  not  safe  in  the  darkness,  and  under  the  occasional 
heaves  of  the  boat,  for  the  others  to  come  on  the  roof;  but  they 
opened  the  shutters,  and  looked  out  upon  the  gloomy  water 
with  a  sense  of  security  they  c-ould  not  have  deemed  possible 


384  H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     BOUND. 

for  people  in  their  situation.  The  worst  was  over  for  the 
moment,  and  there  is  a  relief  in  present  escape  that  temporarily 
conceals  future  dangers.  They  could  converse  without  the 
fear  of  alarming  their  enemies,  and  Paul  spoke  encouragingly 
of  their  prospects.  It  was  his  intention  to  stand  to  the  north 
ward  until  he  reached  the  wreck,  when,  failing  to  get  any 
tidings  of  their  friends,  they  might  make  the  best  of  their  way 
to  the  nearest  island  to  leeward. 

With  this  cheering  news  the  party  below  again  disposed 
themselves  to  sleep,  while  the  two  young  men  maintained  their 
posts  on  the  roof. 

"  We  must  resemble  an  ark,"  said  Paul  laughing,  as  he  seated 
himself  on  a  box  near  the  stem  of  the  boat,  "  and  I  should  think 
would  frighten  the  Arabs  from  an  attack,  had  they  even  the 
opportunity  to  make  one.  This  house  we  carry  will  prove  a 
troublesome  companion,  should  we  encounter  a  heavy  and  a 
head  sea." 

"  You  say  it  may  easily  be  gotten  rid  of." 

"  Nothing  would  be  easier,  the  whole  apparatus  being  made 
to  ship  and  unship.  Before  the  wind  we  might  carry  it  a  long 
time,  and  it  would  even  help  us  along ;  but  on  a  wind  it  makes 
us  a  little  top-heavy,  besides  giving  us  a  leeward  set.  In  the 
event  of  rain,  or  of  bad  weather  of  any  sort,  it  would  be  a  trea 
sure  to  us  all,  more  especially  to  the  females,  and  I  think  we 
had  better  keep  it  as  long  as  possible." 

The  half  hour  of  breeze  already  mentioned  sufficed  to  carry 
the  boat  some  distance  to  the  northward,  when  it  failed,  and 
the  puffs  from  the  land  returned.  Paul  supposed  they  were 
quite  two  miles  from  the  inlet,  and,  trying  the  lead,  he  found 
ten  fathoms  of  water,  a  proof  that  they  had  also  gradually  re 
ceded  from  the  shore.  Still  nothing  but  a  dense  darkness  sur 
rounded  them,  though  there  could  no  longer  be  the  smallest 
doubt  of  their  being  in  the  open  ocean. 

For  near  an  hour  the  light  baffling  air  came  in  puffs,  as  be 
fore,  during  which  time  the  launch's  head  was  kept,  as  near  as 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  385 

the  two  gentlemen  could  judge,  to  the  northward,  making  but 
little  progress  ;  and  then  the  breeze  drew  gradually  round  into 
one  quarter,  and  commenced  blowing  with  a  steadiness  that 
they  had  not  experienced  before  that  night.  Paul  suspected 
this  change,  though  he  had  no  certain  means  of  knowing  it ; 
for  as  soon  as  the  wind  baffled,  his  course  had  got  to  be  con 
jectural  again.  As  the  breeze  freshened,  the  speed  of  the  boat 
necessarily  augmented,  though  she  was  kept  always  on  a  wind; 
and  after  half  an  hour's  progress,  the  gentlemen  became  once 
more  uneasy  as  to  the  direction. 

"  It  would  be  a  cruel  and  awkward  fate  to  hit  the  reef  again," 
said  Paul ;  "  and  yet  I  cannot  be  sure  that  we  are  not  running 
directly  for  it." 

"  We  have  compasses ;  let  us  strike  a  light  and  look  into  the 
matter." 

"  It  were  better  had  we  done  this  more  early,  for  a  light 
might  now  prove  dangerous,  should  we  really  have  altered  the 
course  in  this  intense  darkness.  There  is  no  remedy,  however, 
and  the  risk  must  be  taken.  I  will  first  try  the  lead  again." 

A  cast  was  made,  and  the  result  was  two  and  a  half  fathoms 
of  water. 

"  Put  the  helm  down !"  cried  Paul,  springing  to  the  sheet : 
"  lose  not  a  moment,  but  down  with  the  helm !" 

The  boat  did  not  work  freely  under  her  imperfect  sail  and 
with  the  roof  she  carried,  and  a  moment  of  painful  anxiety  suc 
ceeded.  Paul  managed,  however,  to  get  a  part  of  the  sail  aback, 
and  he  felt  more  secure. 

"The  boat  has  stern-way  :  shift  the  helm,  Mr.  Sharp." 

This  was  done,  the  yard  was  dipped,  and  the  two  young  men 
felt  a  relief  almost  equal  to  that  they  had  experienced  on  clear 
ing  the  inlet,  when  they  found  the  launch  again  drawing  ahead, 
obedient  to  her  rudder. 

"We  are  near  something,  reef  or  shore,"  said  Paul,  standing 
with  the  lead-line  in  his  hand,  in  readiness  to  heave.  "  I  think 
it  can  hardly  be  the  first,  as  we  hear  no  Arabs." 

17 


386  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Waiting  a  few  minutes,  he  hove  the  lead,  and,  to  his  infinite 
joy,  got  three  fathoms  fairly. 

"  That  is  good  news.  We  are  hauling  off  the  danger,  what 
ever  it  may  be,"  he  said,  as  he  felt  the  mark :  "  and  now  for 
the  compass." 

Saunders  was  called,  a  light  was  struck,  and  the  compasses 
were  both  examined.  These  faithful  but  mysterious  guides, 
which  have  so  long  served  man  while  they  have  baffled  all  his 
ingenuity  to  discover  the  sources  of  their  power,  were,  as  usual, 
true  to  their  governing  principle.  The  boat  was  heading  north- 
northwest  ;  the  wind  was  at  northeast,  and  before  they  tacked 
they  had  doubtless  been  standing  directly  for  the  beach,  from 
which  they  could  not  have  been  distant  a  half  quarter  of  a  mile, 
if  so  much.  A  few  more  minutes  would  have  carried  them  in 
to  the  breakers,  capsized  the  boat,  and  most  probably  drowned 
all  below  the  roof,  if  not  those  on  it. 

Paul  shuddered  as  these  facts  forced  themselves  on  his  at 
tention,  and  he  determined  to  stand  on  his  present  course  for 
two  hours,  when  daylight  would  render  his  return  towards  the 
land  without  danger. 

"  This  is  the  trade,"  he  said,  "  and  it  will  probably  stand. 
We  have  a  current  to  contend  with,  as  well  as  a  head-wind ; 
but  I  think  we  can  weather  the  cape  by  morning,  when  we  can 
get  a  survey  of  the  wreck  by  means  of  the  glass.  If  we  dis 
cover  nothing,  I  shall  bear  up  at  once  for  the  Cape  de  Verds." 

The  two  gentlemen  now  took  the  helm  in  turns,  he  who 
slept  fastening  himself  to  the  mast,  as  a  precaution  against  being 
rolled  into  the  sea  by  the  motion  of  the  boat.  In  fifteen  fathoms 
water  they  tacked  again,  and  stood  to  the  east-southeast,  hav 
ing  made  certain,  by  a  fresh  examination  of  the  compass,  that 
the  wind  stood  in  the  same  quarter  as  before.  The  moon  rose 
soon  after,  and,  although  the  morning  was  clouded  and  lower 
ing,  there  was  then  sufficient  light  to  remove  all  danger  from 
the  darkness.  At  length  this  long  and  anxious  night  termina 
ted  in  the  usual  streak  of  day,  which  gleamed  across  the  desert. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  387 

Paul  was  at  the  helm,  steering  more  by  instinct  than  any 
thing  else,  and  occasionally  nodding  at  his  post ;  for  two  suc 
cessive  nights  of  watching  and  a  day  of  severe  toil  had  over 
come  his  sense  of  clanger,  and  his  care  for  others.  Strange 
fancies  beset  men  at  such  moments ;  and  his  busy  imagination 
was  running  over  some  of  the  scenes  of  his  early  youth,  when 
either  his  sense  or  his  wandering  faculties  made  him  hear  the 
usual  brief,  spirited  hail  of — 

"Boat  ahoy!" 

Paul  opened  his  eyes,  felt  that  the  tiller  was  in  his  hand,  and 
was  about  to  close  the  first  again,  when  the  words  were  more 
sternly  repeated : 

"Boat  ahoy ! — what  craft's  that  ?     Answer,  or  expect  a  shot !" 

This  was  plain  English,  and  Paul  was  wide  awake  in  an  in 
stant.  Paibbing  his  eyes,  he  saw  a  line  of  boats  anchored  directly 
on  his  weather  bow,  with  a  raft  of  spars  riding  astern. 

"  Hurrah  !"  shouted  the  young  man.  "  This  is  Heaven's  own 
tidings  !  Are  these  the  Montauk's  ?" 

"  Ay,  ay.     Who  the  devil  are  you  ?" 

The  truth  is,  Captain  Truck  did  not  recognize  his  own  launch 
in  the  royal,  roof,  and  jigger.  He  had  never  before  seen  a  boat 
afloat  in  such  a  guise ;  and  in  the  obscurity  of  the  hour,  and 
fresh  awakened  from  a  profound  sleep,  like  Paul,  his  faculties 
were  a  little  confused.  But  the  latter  soon  comprehended  the 
whole  matter.  He  clapped  his  helm  down,  let  fly  the  sheet,  and 
in  a  minute  the  launch  of  the  packet  was  riding  alongside  of 
the  launch  of  the  Dane.  Heads  were  out  of  the  shutters,  and 
every  boat  gave  up  its  sleepers,  for  the  cry  was  general  through 
out  the  little  flotilla. 

The  party  just  arrived  alone  felt  joy.  They  found  those 
whom  they  had  believed  dead,  or  captives,  alive  and  free  ; 
whereas  the  others  now  learned  the  extent  of  the  misfortune 
that  had  befallen  them.  For  a  few  minutes  this  contrast  in 
feeling  produced  an  awkward  meeting ;  but  the  truth  soon 
brought  all  down  to  the  same  sober  level.  Captain  Truck  re- 


388  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

ceived  the  congratulations  of  his  friends  like  one  in  a  stupor  ; 
Toast  looked  amazed  as  his  friend  Saunders  shook  his  hand;  and 
the  gentlemen  who  had  been  to  the  wreck  met  the  cheerful 
greetings  of  those  who  had  just  escaped  the  Arabs  like  men 
who  fancied  the  others  mad. 

We  pass  over  the  explanations  that  followed,  as  every  one 
will  readily  understand  them.  Captain  Truck  listened  to  Paul 
like  one  in  a  trance,  and  it  was  some  time  after  the  young  man 
had  done  before  he  spoke.  With  a  wish  to  cheer  him,  he  was 
told  of  the  ample  provision  of  stores  that  had  been  brought  off 
in  the  launch,  of  the  trade-winds  that  had  now  apparently  set 
in,  and  of  the  great  probability  of  their  all  reaching  the  islands 
in  safety.  Still  the  old  man  made  no  reply ;  he  got  on  the  roof 
of  his  own  launch,  and  paced  backwards  and  forwards  rapidly, 
heeding  nothing.  Even  Eve  spoke  to  him  unnoticed,  and  the 
consolations  offered  by  her  father  were  not  attended  to.  At 
length  he  stopped  suddenly,  and  called  for  his  mate. 

"Mr.  Leach!" 

"  Sir." 

"  Here  is  a  category  for  you  !" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;  it's  bad  enough  in  its  way;  still  we  are  better 
off  than  the  Danes." 

"  You  tell  me,  sir,"  turning  to  Paul,  "  that  these  foul  black 
guards  were  actually  on  the  deck  of  the  ship  ?" 

"  Certainly,  Captain  Truck.  They  took  complete  possession  ; 
for  we  had  no  means  of  keeping  them  off." 

"  And  the  ship  is  ashore  ?" 

"  Beyond  a  question." 

"Bilged?" 

"  I  think  not.  There  is  no  swell  within  the  reef,  and  she 
lies  on  sand." 

"We  might  have  spared  ourselves  the  trouble,  Leach,  of  culling 
these  cursed  spars,  as  if  they  had  been  so  many  toothpicks." 

"  That  we  might,  sir ;  for  they  will  not  now  serve  as  oven- 
wood,  for  want  of  the  oven." 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  389 

"  A  damnable  category,  Mr.  Effingliam !  I'm  glad  you  are 
safe,  sir;  and  you,  too,  my  dear  young  lady — God  bless  you ! — 
God  bless  you !  It  were  better  the  whole  line  should  be  in  their 
power  than  one  like  you  !" 

The  old  seaman's  eyes  filled  as  he  shook  Eve  by  the  hand,  and 
for  a  moment  he  forgot  the  ship. 

"  Mr.  Leach  !" 

"  Sir." 

"  Let  the  people  have  their  breakfasts,  and  bear  a  hand  about 
it.  We  are  likely  to  have  a  busy  morning,  sir.  Lift  the  kedge, 
too,  and  let  us  drift  down  towards  these  gentry,  and  take  a  look 
at  them.  We  have  both  wind  and  current  with  us  now,  and 
shall  make  quick  work  of  it." 

The  kedge  was  raised,  the  sails  were  all  set,  and,  with  the 
two  launches  lashed  together,  the  whole  line  of  boats  and  spars 
began  to  set  to  the  southward  at  a  rate  that  would  bring  them 
up  with  the  inlet  in  about  two  hours. 

"  This  is  the  course  for  the  Cape  de  Verds,  gentlemen,"  said 
the  captain  bitterly.  "  We  shall  have  to  pass  before  our  own 
door  to  go  and  ask  hospitality  of  strangers.  But  let  the  peo 
ple  get  their  breakfasts,  Mr.  Leach  ;  just  let  the  boys  have  one 
comfortable  meal  before  they  take  to  their  oars." 

Eat  himself,  however,  Mr.  Truck  would  not.  He  chewed  the 
end  of  a  cigar,  and  continued  walking  up  and  down  the  roof. 

In  half  an  hour  the  people  had  ended  their  meal,  the  day  had 
fairly  opened,  and  the  boats  and  raft  had  made  good  progress. 

"  Splice  the  main-brace,  Mr.  Leach,"  said  the  captain,  "  for 
we  are  a  little  jammed.  And  you,  gentlemen,  do  me  the  favor 
to  step  this  way  for  a  consultation.  This  much  is  due  to  your 
situation." 

Captain  Truck  assembled  his  male  passengers  in  the  stern  of 
the  Dane's  launch,  where  he  commenced  the  following  address: 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "every  thing  in  this  world  has  its 
nature  and  its  principles.  This  truth  I  hold  you  all  to  be  too 
well  informed  and  well  educated  to  deny.  The  nature  of  a 


390  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

traveller  is  to  travel,  and  see  curiosities  ;  the  nature  of  old  men 
is  to  think  on  the  past,  of  a  young  man  to  hope  for  the  future. 
The  nature  of  a  seaman  is  to  stick  by  his  ship,  and  of  a  ship 
to  be  treated  like  a  vessel,  and  not  to  be  ransacked  like  a  town 
taken  by  storm,  or  a  nunnery  that  is  rifled.  You  are  but  pas 
sengers,  and  doubtless  have  your  own  wishes  and  occupations, 
as  I  have  mine.  Your  wishes  are,  beyond  question,  to  be  safe 
in  New  York  among  your  friends ;  and  mine  are  to  get  the 
Montauk  there  too,  in  as  little  time  and  with  as  little  injury  as 
possible.  You  have  a  good  navigator  among  you  ;  and  I  no*w 
propose  that  you  take  the  Montauk's  launch,  with  such  stores 
as  are  necessary,  and  fill  away  at  once  for  the  islands,  where,  I 
pray  God,  you  may  all  arrive  in  safety,  and  that  when  you  reach 
America  you  may  find  all  your  relations  in  good  health,  and  in 
no  manner  uneasy  at  this  little  delay.  Your  effects  shall  be 
safely  delivered  to  your  respective  orders,  should  it  please  God 
to  put  it  in  the  power  of  the  line  to  honor  your  drafts." 

"  You  intend  to  attempt  recapturing  the  ship  !"  exclaimed 
Paul. 

"  I  do,  sir,"  returned  Mr.  Truck,  who,  having  thus  far  opened 
his  mind,  for  the  first  time  that  morning  gave  a  vigorous  hem ! 
and  set  about  lighting  a  cigar.  "  We  may  do  it,  gentlemen,  or 
we  may  not  do  it.  If  we  do  it,  you  will  hear  farther  from  me; 
if  we  fail,  why,  tell  them  at  home  that  we  carried  sail  as  long 
as  a  stitch  would  draw." 

The  gentlemen  looked  at  each  other,  the  young  waiting  in 
respect  for  the  counsel  of  the  old,  the  old  hesitating  in  deference 
to  the  pride  and  feelings  of  the  young. 

"  We  must  join  you  in  this  enterprise,  captain,"  said  Mr. 
Sharp  quietly,  but  with  the  manner  of  a  man  of  spirit  and  nerve. 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  cried  Mr.  Monday  ;  "  we  ought  to 
make  a  common  affair  of  it ;  as  I  dare  say  Sir  George  Tem- 
plemore  will  agree  with  me  in  maintaining :  the  nobility  and 
gentry  are  not  often  backward  when  their  persons  are  to  be 
risked." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  391 

The  spurious  baronet  acquiesced  in  the  proposal  as  readily  as 
it  had  been  made  by  him  whom  he  had  temporarily  deposed ; 
for,  though  a  weak  and  a  vain  young  man,  he  was  far  from  be 
ing  a  dastard. 

"  This  is  a  serious  business,"  observed  Paul,  "  and  it  ought  to 
be  ordered  with  method  and  intelligence.  If  we  have  a  ship 
to  care  for,  we  have  those  also  who  are  infinitely  more  pre 
cious." 

"  Very  true,  Mr.  Blunt,  very  true,"  interrupted  Mr.  Dodge,  a 
little  eagerly.  "  It  is  my  maxim  to  let  well  alone ;  and  I  am 
certain  shipwrecked  people  can  hardly  be  better  off  and  more 
comfortable  than  we  are  at  this  very  moment.  I  dare  say 
these  gallant  sailors,  if  the  question  was  fairly  put  to  them, 
would  give  it  by  a  handsome  majority  in  favor  of  things  as 
they  are.  I  am  a  conservative,  captain,  and  I  think  an  appeal 
ouo-lit  to  be  made  to  the  ballot-boxes  before  we  decide  on  a 

O 

measure  of  so  much  magnitude." 

The  occasion  was  too  grave  for  the  ordinary  pleasantry,  and 
this  singular  proposition  was  heard  in  silence,  to  Mr.  Dodge's 
great  disgust. 

"  I  think  it  the  duty  of  Captain  Truck  to  endeavor  to  retake 
his  vessel,"  continued  Paul;  "but  the  affair  will  be  serious, 
and  success  is  far  from  certain.  The  Montauk's  launch  ought 
to  be  left  at  a  safe  distance  with  all  the  females,  and  in  prudent 
keeping;  for  any  disaster  to  the  boarding  party  would  proba 
bly  throw  the  rest  of  the  boats  into  the  hands  of  the  barbarians, 
and  endanger  the  safety  of  those  left  in  the  launch.  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  and  Mr.  John  Effingham  will  of  course  remain  with  the 
ladies." 

The  father  assented  with  the  simplicity  of  one  who  did  not 
distrust  his  own  motives,  but  the  eagle-shaped  features  of  his 
kinsman  curled  with  a  cool  and  sarcastic  smile. 

"  Will  you  remain  in  the  launch  ?"  the  latter  asked  pointedly, 
turning  towards  Paul. 

"  Certainly  it  would  be  greatly  out  of  character  were  I  to 


392  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

think  of  it.  My  trade  is  war,  and  I  trust  that  Captain  Truck 
means  to  honor  me  with  the  command  of  one  of  the  boats." 

"  I  thought  as  much,  by  Jove !"  exclaimed  the  captain,  seiz 
ing  a  hand,  which  he  shook  with  the  utmost  cordiality.  "  I 
should  as  soon  expect  to  see  the  sheet-anchor  wink,  or  the  best 
bower  give  a  mournful  smile,  as  to  see  you  duck !  Still,  gen 
tlemen,  I  am  well  aware  of  the  difference  in  our  situations.  I 
ask  no  man  to  forget  his  duties  to  those  on  shore  on  my  ac 
count,  and  I  fancy  that  my  regular  people,  aided  by  Mr.  Blunt, 
who  can  really  serve  me  by  his  knowledge,  will  be  as  likely  to 
do  all  that  can  be  done  as  all  of  us  united.  It  is  not  numbers 
that  carry  ships,  as  much  as  spirit,  promptitude,  and  resolu 
tion." 

"  But  the  question  has  not  yet  been  put  to  the  people,"  said 
Mr.  Dodge,  who  was  a  little  mystified  by  the  word  last  used, 
which  he  had  yet  to  learn  was  strictly  technical  as  applied  to  a 
vessel's  crew. 

"  It  shall,  sir,"  returned  Captain  Truck,  "  and  I  beg  you  to 
note  the  majority.  My  lads,"  he  continued,  rising  on  a  thwart, 
and  speaking  aloud,  "  you  know  the  history  of  the  ship.  As 
to  the  Arabs,  now  they  have  got  her  they  do  not  know  how  to 
sail  her,  and  it  is  no  more  than  a  kindness  to  take  her  out  of 
their  hands.  For  this  business  I  want  volunteers — those  who 
are  for  the  reef  and  an  attack,  will  rise  up  and  cheer;  while 
they  who  like  an  offing  have  only  to  sit  still  and  stay  where 
they  are." 

The  words  were  no  sooner  spoken  than  Mr.  Leach  jumped 
up  on  the  gunwale  and  waved  his  hat.  The  people  rose  as  one 
man,  and  taking  the  signal  from  the  mate,  they  gave  three  as 
hearty  cheers  as  ever  rung  over  the  bottle. 

"  Dead  against  you,  sir !"  observed  the  captain,  nodding  to 
the  editor,  "  and  I  hope  you  are  now  satisfied." 

"The  ballot  might  have  given  it  the  other  way,"  muttered 
Mr.  Dodge ;  "  there  can  be  no  freedom  of  election  without  the 
ballot." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  393 

No  one,  however,  thought  any  longer  of  Mr.  Dodge  or  his 
scruples,  but  the  whole  disposition  for  the  attack  was  made 
with  promptitude  and  caution.  It  was  decided  that  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  and  his  own  servant  should  remain  in  the  launch,  while 
the  captain  compelled  his  two  mates  to  draw  lots  which  of 
them  should  stay  behind  also,  a  navigator  being  indispensable. 
The  chance  fell  on  the  second  mate,  who  submitted  to  his  luck 
with  an  ill  grace. 

A  bust  of  Napoleon  was  cut  up,  and  the  pieces  of  lead  were 
beaten  as  nearly  round  as  possible,  so  as  to  form  a  dozen  leaden 
balls  and  a  quantity  of  slugs,  or  langrage.  The  latter  were  put 
in  canvas  bags,  while  the  keg  of  powder  was  opened,  a  flannel 
shirt  or  two  were  torn,  and  cartridges  were  filled.  Ammunition 
was  also  distributed  to  the  people,  and  Mr.  Sharp  examined 
their  arms.  The  gun  was  got  off  the  roof  of  the  Montauk's 
launch,  and  placed  on  a  grating  forward  in  that  of  the  Dane. 
The  sails  and  rigging  were  cleared  out  of  the  boat  and  secured 
on  the  raft,  when  she  was  properly  manned  and  the  command 
of  her  was  given  to  Paul. 

The  three  other  boats  received  their  crews,  with  John  Effing- 
ham  at  the  head  of  one,  the  captain  and  his  mate  commanding 
the  others.  Mr.  Dodge  felt  compelled  to  volunteer  to  go  in 
the  launch  of  the  Dane,  where  Paul  had  now  taken  his  station, 
though  he  did  it  with  a  reluctance  that  escaped  the  observation 
of  no  one  who  took  the  pains  to  observe  him.  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Mr.  Monday  were  with  the  captain,  and  the  false  Si'r  George 
Templemore  went  with  Mr.  Leach.  These  arrangements  com 
pleted,  the  whole  party  waited  impatiently  for  the  wind  and 
current  to  set  them  down  towards  the  reef,  the  rocks  of  which 
by  this  time  were  plainly  visible,  even  from  the  thwarts  of  the 
several  boats. 

17* 


894  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

"  Hark !  was  it  not  the  trumpet's  voice  I  heard? 
The  soul  of  battle  is  awake  within  me. 
The  fate  of  ages  and  of  empires  hangs 
On  tliis  dread  hour." 

MASSIXGER. 

THE  two  launches  were  still  sailing  side  by  side,  and  Eve 
now  appeared  at  the  open  window  next  the  seat  of  Paul.  Her 
face  was  pale  as  when  the  scene  of  the  cabin  occurred,  and  her 
lip  trembled. 

"I  do  not  understand  these  warlike  proceedings,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  trust,  Mr.  Blunt,  we  have  no  concern  with  the  present 
movement." 

"  Put  your  mind  at  ease  on  this  head,  dearest  Miss  Effing- 
ham,  for  what  we  now  do  we  do  in  compliance  with  a  general 
law  of  manhood.  Were  your  interests  and  the  interests  of 
those  with  you  alone  consulted,  we  might  come  to  a  very  dif 
ferent  decision ;  but  I  think  you  are  in  safe  hands,  should  our 
adventure  prove  unfortunate." 

"  Unfortunate !  It  is  fearful  to  be  so  near  a  scene  like  this  ! 
I  cannot  ask  you  to  do  any  thing  unworthy  of  yourself;  but, 
all  that  we  owe  you  impels  me  to  say,  I  trust  you  have  too 
much  wisdom,  too  much  true  courage,  to  incur  unnecessary 
risks." 

The  young  man  looked  volumes  of  gratitude,  but  the  pres 
ence  of  the  others  kept  its  expression  within  due  bounds. 

"  We  old  sea-dogs,"  he  answered,  smiling,  "  are  rather  noted 
for  taking  care  of  ourselves.  They  who  are  trained  to  a  busi 
ness  like  this  usually  set  about  it  too  much  in  a  business-like 
manner  to  hazard  any  thing  for  mere  show." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  395 

"  And  very  wisely  ;  Mr.  Sharp,  too" — Eve's  color  deepened 
with  a  consciousness  that  Paul  would  have  given  worlds  to  un 
derstand — "  he  has  a  claim  on  us  we  shall  never  forget.  My 
father  can  say  all  this  better  than  I." 

Mr.  Effingliam  now  expressed  his  thanks  for  all  that  had 
passed,  and  earnestly  enjoined  prudence  on  the  young  men ; 
after  which  Eve  withdrew  her  head,  and  was  seen  no  more. 
Most  of  the  next  hour  was  passed  in  prayer  by  those  in  the 
launch. 

By  this  time  the  boats  and  raft  were  within  half  a  mile  of 
the  inlet,  and  Captain  Truck  ordered  the  kedge,  which  had 
been  transferred  to  the  launch  of  the  Montauk,  to  be  let  go. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the  old  seaman  threw  down  his  hat, 
and  stood  on  a  thwart  in  his  grey  hair. 

"  Gentlemen,  you  have  your  orders,"  he  said,  with  dignity ; 
for  from  that  moment  his  manner  rose  with  the  occasion,  and 
had  something  of  the  grandeur  of  the  warrior.  "You  see 
the  enemy.  The  reef  must  first  be  cleared,  and  then  the  ship 
shall  be  carried.  God  knows  who  will  live  to  see  the  end ; 
but  that  end  must  be  success,  or  the  bones  of  John  Truck  shall 
bleach  on  these  sands !  Our  cry  is,  '  The  Montauk  and  our 
own !'  which  is  a  principle  Vattel  will  sustain  us  in.  Give 
way,  men !  a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  all  together ; 
each  boat  in  its  station !" 

He  waved  his  hand,  and  the  oars  fell  into  the  water  at  the 
same  instant.  The  heavy  launch  was  the  last,  for  she  had 
double-fasts  to  the  other  boat.  While  loosenino-  that  forward 

O 

the  second  mate  deserted  his  post,  stepping  nimbly  on  board 
the  departing  boat,  and  concealing  himself  behind  the  foremost 
of  the  two  lug-sails  she  carried.  Almost  at  the  same  instant 
Mr.  Dodge  reversed  this  manoeuvre  by  pretending  to  be  left 
clinging  to  the  boat  of  the  Montauk,  in  his  zeal  to  shove  off. 
As  the  sails  were  drawing  hard,  and  the  oars  dashed  the  spray 
aside,  it  was  too  late  to  rectify  either  of  these  mistakes,  had  it 
been  desirable. 


396  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

A  few  minutes  of  stern  calm  succeeded,  each  boat  keeping 
its  place  with  beautiful  precision.  The  Arabs  had  left  the 
northern  reef  with  the  light ;  but,  the  tide  being  out,  hundreds 
were  strung  along  the  southern  range  of  rocks,  especially  near 
the  ship.  The  wind  carried  the  launch  ahead,  as  had  been  in 
tended,  and  she  soon  drew  near  the  inlet. 

"  Take  in  the  sails,"  said  Mr.  Blunt.  "  See  your  gun  clear 
forward." 

A  fine,  tall,  straight,  athletic  young  seaman  stood  near  the 
grating,  with  a  heated  iron  lying  in  a  vessel  of  live  coals  before 
him,  in  lieu  of  a  loggerhead,  the  fire  being  covered  with  a  tar 
paulin.  As  Paul  spoke,  this  young  manner  turned  towards 
him  with  the  peculiar  grace  of  a  man-of-war' s-man,  and  touched 
his  hat. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir.     All  ready,  Mr.  Powis." 

Paul  started,  while  the  other  smiled  proudly,  like  one  who 
knew  more  than  his  companions. 

"  We  have  met  before,"  said  the  first. 

"That  have  we,  sir,  and  in  boat-duty,  too.  You  were  the 
first  on  board  the  pirate  on  the  coast  of  Cuba,  and  I  was 
second." 

A  look  of  recognition  and  a  wave  of  the  hand  passed  be 
tween  them,  the  men  cheering  involuntarily.  It  was  too  late 
for  more,  the  launch  being  fairly  in  the  inlet,  where  she  re 
ceived  a  general  but  harmless  fire  from  the  Arabs.  An  order 
had  been  given  to  fire  the  first  shot  over  the  heads  of  the  bar 
barians  ;  but  this  assault  changed  the  plan. 

"  Depress  the  piece,  Brooks,"  said  Paul,  "  and  throw  in  a  bag 
of  slugs." 

"  All  ready,  sir,"  was  uttered  in  another  minute. 

"  Hold  water,  men — the  boat  is  steady — let  them  have  it." 

Men  fell  at  that  discharge ;  but  how  many  was  never  known, 
as  the  bodies  were  hurried  ofT  the  reef  by  those  who  fled.  A 
few  concealed  themselves  along  the  rocks,  but  most  scampered 
towards  the  shore. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  397 

"  Bravely  done !''  cried  Captain  Truck,  as  his  boat  swept  past. 
u  Now  for  the  ship,  sir !" 

The  people  cheered  again,  and  dashed  their  oars  into  the 
water.  To  clear  the  reef  was  nothing ;  but  to  carry  the  ship 
was  a  serious  affair.  She  was  defended  by  four  times  the  num 
ber  of  those  in  the  boats,  and  there  was  no  retreat.  The  Arabs, 
as  has  already  been  seen,  had  suspended  their  labor  during  the 
night,  having  fruitlessly  endeavored  to  haul  the  vessel  over  to 
the  reef  before  the  tide  rose.  More  by  accident  than  by  calcu 
lation,  they  had  made  such  arrangements,  by  getting  a  line  to 
the  rocks,  as  would  probably  have  set  the  ship  off  the  sands, 
when  she  floated  at  high  water ;  but  this  line  had  been  cut  by 
Paul  in  passing,  and  the  wind  coming  on  shore  again,  during 
the  confusion  and  clamor  of  the  barbarians,  or  at  a  moment 
when  they  thought  they  were  to  be  attacked,  no  attention  was 
paid  to  the  circumstance,  and  the  Montauk  was  suffered  to 
drive  up  still  higher  on  the  sands,  where  she  effectually 
grounded  at  the  very  top  of  the  tide.  As  it  was  now  dead 
low  water,  the  ship  had  sewed  materially,  and  was  now  lying 
on  her  bilge,  partly  sustained  by  the  water,  and  partly  by  the 
bottom. 

During  the  short  pause  that  succeeded,  Saunders,  who  was 
seated  in  the  captain's  boat  as  a  small-arms-man,  addressed  his 
subordinate  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Now,  Toast,"  he  said,  "  you  are  about  to  contend  in  battle 
for  the  first  time  ;  and  I  diwine,  from  experience,  that  the  ewent 
gives  you  some  sentiments  that  are  werry  original.  My  adwice 
to  you  is,  to  shut  both  eyes  until  the  word  is  given  to  fire,  and 
then  to  open  them  suddenly,  as  if  just  awaking  from  sleep ; 
after  which  you  may  prp^nt  and  pull  the  trigger.  Above  all, 
Toast,  take  care  not  to  l~.ll  any  of  our  own  friends,  most  espe 
cially  not  Captain  Truck,  just  at  this  werry  moment." 

"  I  shall  do  my  endeavors,  Mr.  Saunders,"  muttered  Toast, 
with  the  apathy  and  submissive  dependence  on  others  with 
which  the  American  black  usually  goes  into  action.  "If  I  do 


398  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

any  harm,  I  hope  it  will  be  overlooked,  on  account  of  my  want 
of  experience." 

"Imitate  me,  Toast,  in  coolness  and  propriety,  and  you'll  be 
certain  not  to  offend.  I  do  not  mean  that  you  are  to  kill  the 
werry  same  Muscle-men  that  I  kill,  but  that  when  I  kill  one 
you  are  to  kill  another.  And  be  werry  careful  not  to  hurt 
Captain  Truck,  who'll  be  certain  to  run  right  afore  the  muzzle 
of  our  guns,  if  he  sees  any  thing  to  be  done  there." 

Toast  growled  an  assent,  and  then  there  was  no  other  noise 
in  the  boat  than  that  which  was  produced  by  the  steady  and 
vigorous  falling  of  the  oars.  An  attempt  had  been  made  to 
lighten  the  vessel  by  unloading  her,  and  the  bank  of  sand  was 
already  covered  with  bales  and  boxes,  which  had  been  brought 
up  from  the  hold  by  means  of  a  stage,  and  by  sheer  animal 
force.  The  raft  had  been  extended  in  size,  and  brought 
round  to  the  bank  by  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  with  the  inten 
tion  to  load  it,  and  to  transfer  the  articles  already  landed  to 
the  rocks. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  about  the  Montauk  when  the 
boats  came  into  the  channel  that  ran  directly  up  to  the  bank. 
The  launch  led  again,  her  sails  having  been  set  as  soon  as  the 
reef  was  swept,  and  she  now  made  another  discharge  on  the 
deck  of  the  ship,  which,  inclining  towards  the  gun,  offered  no 
shelter.  The  effect  was  to  bring  every  Arab,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  down  upon  the  bank. 

"  Hurrah  !"  shouted  Captain  Truck ;  "  that  grist  has  purified 
the  old  bark !  And  now  to  see  who  is  to  own  her !  '  The 
thieves  are  out  of  the  temple,'  as  my  good  father  would  have 
said." 

The  four  boats  were  in  a  line  abreast,  the  launch  under  one 
sail  only.  A  good  deal  of  confusion  existed  on  the  bank ;  but 
the  Arabs  sought  the  cover  of  the  bales  and  boxes,  and  opened 
a  sharp  though  irregular  fire.  Three  times,  as  they  advanced, 
the  second  mate  and  that  gallant-looking  young  seaman  called 
Brooks  discharged  the  gun,  and  at  each  discharge  the  Arabs 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  399 

were  dislodged  and  driven  to  the  raft.  The  cheers  of  the  sea 
men  became  animated,  though  they  still  plied  the  oars. 

"  Steadily,  men,"  said  Captain  Truck,  "  and  prepare  to  board." 

At  this  moment  the  launch  grounded,  though  still  twenty 
yards  from  the  bank,  the  other  boats  passing  her  with  loud 
cheers. 

"  We  are  all  ready,  sir,"  cried  Brooks. 

"Let  'em  have  it.     Take  in  the  sail,  boys." 

The  gun  was  fired,  and  the  tall  young  seaman  sprang  upon 
the  grating  and  cheered.  As  he  looked  backward,  with  a  smile 
of  triumph,  Paul  saw  his  eyes  roll.  He  leaped  into  the  air,  and 
fell  at  his  length  dead  upon  the  water ;  for  such  is  the  passage 
of  a  man  in  battle,  from  one  state  of  existence  to  another. 

"  Where  do  we  hang  ?"  asked  Paul,  steadily  ;  "  forward 
or  aft  2" 

Tt  was  forward,  and  deeper  water  lay  ahead  of  them.  The 
sail  was  set  again,  and  the  people  were  called  aft.  The  boat 
tipped,  and  shot  ahead  towards  the  sands,  like  a  courser  re 
leased  from  a  sudden  pull. 

All  this  time  the  others  were  not  idle.  Not  a  musket  was 
fired  from  either  boat  until  the  whole  three  struck  the  bank, 
almost  at  the  same  instant,  though  at  as  many  different  points. 
Then  all  leaped  ashore,  and  threw  in  a  fire  so  close,  that  the 
boxes  served  as  much  for  a  cover  to  the  assailants  as  to  the 
assailed.  It  was  at  this  critical  moment,  when  the  seamen 
paused  to  load,  that  Paul,  just  clear  of  the  bottom,  with  his 
own  hand  applying  the  loggerhead,  swept  the  rear  of  the 
bank  with  a  most  opportune  discharge. 

"  Yard-arm  and  yard-arm  !"  shouted  Captain  Truck.  "  Lay 
'em  aboard,  boys,  and  give  'em  Jack's  play !" 

The  whole  party  sprang  forward,  and  from  that  moment  all 
order  ceased.  Fists,  handspikes,  of  which  many  were  on  the 
bank,  and  the  butts  of  muskets,  were  freely  used,  and  in  a  way 
that  set  the  spears  and  weapons  of  the  Arabs  at  defiance.  The 
captain,  Mr.  Sharp,  John  Effingham,  Mr.  Monday,  the  soi-disant 


400  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Sir  George  Templemore,  and  the  chief  mate,  formed  a  sort  of 
Macedonian  phalanx,  which  penetrated  the  centre  of  the  barba 
rians,  and  which  kept  close  to  the  enemy,  following  up  its  ad 
vantages  with  a  spirit  that  admitted  of  no  rallying.  On  their 
right  and  left  pressed  the  men,  an  athletic,  hearty,  well-fed  gang. 
The  superiority  of  the  Arabs  was  in  their  powers  of  endurance  ; 
for,  trained  to  the  whip-cord  rigidity  of  racers,  force  was  less 
their  peculiar  merit  than  bottom.  Had  they  acted  in  concert, 
however,  or  had  they  been  on  their  own  desert,  mounted,  and 
with  room  for  their  subtle  evolutions,  the  result  might  have 
been  very  different;  but,  unused  to  contend  with  an  enemy 
who  brought  them  within  reach  of  the  arm,  their  tactics  were 
deranged,  and  all  their  habits  violated.  Still,  their  numbers 
were  formidable,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  accident  to  the 
launch,  after  all,  decided  the  matter.  From  the  moment  the 
melee  began  not  a  shot  was  fired,  but  the  assailants  pressed  upon 
the  assailed,  until  a  large  body  of  the  latter  had  collected  near 
the  raft.  This  was  just  as  the  launch  reached  the  shore,  and 
Paul  perceived  there  was  great  danger  that  the  tide  might  roll 
backward  from  sheer  necessity.  The  gun  was  loaded,  and 
filled  nearly  to  the  muzzle  with  slugs.  He  caused  the  men  to 
raise  it  on  their  oars,  and  to  carry  it  to  a  large  box,  a  little 
apart  from  the  confusion  of  the  fight.  All  this  was  done  in  a 
moment,  for  three  minutes  had  not  yet  passed  since  the  captain 
landed. 

Instead  of  firing,  Paul  called  aloud  to  his  friends  to  cease 
fighting.  Though  chafing  like  a  vexed  lion,  Captain  Truck 
complied,  surprise  effecting  quite  as  much  as  obedience.  The 
Arabs  hardest  pressed  upon,  profited  by  the  pause  to  fall  back 
on  the  main  body  of  their  friends,  near  the  raft.  This  was  all 
Paul  could  ask,  and  he  ordered  the  gun  to  be  pointed  at  the 
centre  of  the  group,  while  he  advanced  himself  towards  the  ene 
my  making  a  sign  of  peace. 

"  Damn  'em,  lay  'em  aboard  !"  cried  the  captain  :  "  no  quarter 
to  the  blackguards !" 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  401 

"  1  rather  think  we  had  better  charge  again,"  added  Mr. 
Sharp,  who  was  thoroughly  warmed  with  his  late  employment. 

"  Hold,  gentlemen  ;  you  risk  all  needlessly.  I  will  show 
these  poor  wretches  what  they  have  to  expect,  and  they  will 
probably  retire.  We  want  the  ship,  not  their  blood." 

"Well,  well,"  returned  the  impatient  captain,  "give  'em 
plenty  of  Vattel,  for  we  have  'em  now  in  a  category." 

The  men  of  the  wilderness  and  of  the  desert  seem  to  act  as 
much  by  instinct  as  by  reason.  An  old  sheik  advanced,  smil 
ing,  towards  Paul,  when  the  latter  was  a  few  yards  in  advance 
of  his  friends,  offering  his  hand  with  as  much  cordiality  as  if 
they  met  merely  to  exchange  courtesies.  Paul  led  him  qui 
etly  to  the  gun,  put  his  hand  in,  and  drew  out  a  bag  of  slugs, 
replaced  it,  and  pointed  significantly  at  the  dense  crowd  of  ex 
posed  Arabs,  and  at  the  heated  iron  that  was  ready  to  dis 
charge  the  piece.  At  all  this  the  old  Arab  smiled,  and  seemed 
to  express  his  admiration.  He  was  then  showed  the  strong 
and  well-armed  party,  all  of  whom  by  this  time  had  a  musket 
or  a  pistol  ready  to  use.  Paul  then  signed  to  the  raft  and  to 
the  reef,  as  much  as  to  tell  the  other  to  withdraw  his  party. 

The  sheik  exhibited  great  coolness  and  sagacity,  and,  unused 
to  frays  so  desperate,  he  signified  his  disposition  to  comply. 
Truces,  Paul  knew,  were  common  in  the  African  combats, 
which  are  seldom  bloody,  and  he  hoped  the  best  from  the  man 
ner  of  the  sheik,  who  was  now  permitted  to  return  to  his 
friends.  A  short  conference  succeeded  among  the  Arabs, 
when  several  of  them  smilingly  waved  their  hands,  and  most  of 
the  party  crowded  on  the  raft.  Others  advanced  and  asked 
permission  to  bear  away  their  wounded,  and  the  bodies  of  the 
dead,  in  both  of  which  offices  they  were  assisted  by  the  seamen, 
as  far  as  was  prudent;  for  it  was  all-important  to  be  on  the 
guard  against  treachery. 

In  this  extraordinary  manner  the  combatants  separated,  the 
Arabs  hauling  themselves  over  to  the  reef  by  a  line,  their  old 
men  smiling,  and  making  signs  of  amity,  until  they  were  fairly 


402  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

on  the  rocks.  Here  they  remained  but  a  very  few  minutes, 
for  the  camels  and  dromedaries  were  seen  trotting  off  towards 
the  Dane  on  the  shore ;  a  sign  that  the  compact  between  the 
different  parties  of  the  barbarians  was  dissolved,  and  that  each 
man  was  about  to  plunder  on  his  own  account.  This  move 
ment  produced  great  agitation  among  the  old  sheiks  and  their 
followers  on  the  reef,  and  set  them  in  motion  with  great  ac 
tivity  towards  the  land.  So  great  was  their  hurry,  indeed, 
that  the  bodies  of  all  the  dead,  and  of  several  of  the  wounded, 
were  fairly  abandoned  on  the  rocks,  at  some  distance  from  the 
shore. 

The  first  step  of  the  victors,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  to  in 
quire  into  their  own  loss.  This  was  much  less  than  would  have 
otherwise  been,  on  account  of  their  good  conduct.  Every  man, 
without  a  solitary  exception,  had  ostensibly  behaved  well ;  one 
of  the  most  infallible  means  of  lessening  danger.  Several  of  the 
party  had  received  slight  hurts,  and  divers  bullets  had  passed 
through  hats  and  jackets.  Mr.  Sharp,  alone,  had  two  through 
the  former,  besides  one  through  his  coat.  Paul  had  blood 
drawn  on  an  arm,  and  Captain  Truck,  to -use  his  own  language, 
resembled  "  a  horse  in  fly-time,"  his  skin  having  been  rased  in 
no  less  than  five  places.  But  all  these  trifling  hurts  and  hair 
breadth  escapes  counted  for  nothing,  as  no  one  was  seriously 
injured  by  them,  or  felt  sufficient  inconvenience  even  to  report 
himself  wounded. 

The  felicitations  were  warm  and  general ;  even  the  seamen 
asking  leave  to  shake  their  sturdy  old  commander  by  the 
hand.  Paul  and  Mr.  Sharp  fairly  embraced,  each  expressing 
his  sincere  pleasure  that  the  other  had  escaped  unharmed. 
The  latter  even  shook  hands  cordially  with  his  counterfeit,  who 
had  acted  with  spirit  from  the  first  to  the  last.  John  Effing- 
harn  alone  maintained  the  same  cool  indifference  after  the 
affair  that  he  had  shown  in  it,  when  it  was  seen  that  he  had 
played  his  part  with  singular  coolness  and  discretion,  dropping 
two  Arabs  with  his  fowling-piece  on  landing,  with  a  sort  of 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  403 

sportsman-like  coolness  with  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  drop 
ping  woodcock  at  home. 

"  I  fear  Mr.  Monday  is  seriously  hurt,"  this  gentleman  said 
to  the  captain,  in  the  midst  of  his  congratulations :  "  he  sits 
aloof  on  the  box  yonder,  and  looks  exhausted." 

"  Mr.  Monday  !  I  hope  not,  with  all  my  heart  and  soul.  He 
is  a  capital  diplomate,  and  a  stout  boarder.  And  Mr.  Dodge, 
too !  I  miss  Mr.  Dodge." 

"Mr.  Dodge  must  have  remained  behind  to  console  the 
ladies,"  returned  Paul,  "  finding  that  your  second  mate  had 
abandoned  them,  like  a  recreant  that  he  is." 

The  captain  shook  his  dist  bedient  mate  by  the  hand  a  second 
time,  and  swore  he  was  a  mutineer  for  violating  his  orders,  and 
ended  by  declaring  that  the  day  was  not  distant  when  he  and 
Mr.  Leach  should  command  two  as  good  liners  as  ever  sailed 
out  of  America. 

"I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  either  of  you  as  soon  as  we 
reach  home,"  he  concluded.  "There  was  Leach  a  foot  or  two 
ahead  of  me  the  whole  time ;  and,  as  for  the  second  officer,  I 
should  be  justified  in  logging  him  as  having  run.  Well,  well ; 
young  men  will  be  young  men  ;  and  so  would  old  men  too, 
Mr.  John  Effingham,  if  they  knew  how.  But  Mr.  Monday 
does  look  doleful ;  and  I  am  afraid  we  shall  be  obliged  to  over 
haul  the  medicine-chest  for  him." 

Mr.  Monday,  however,  was  beyond  the  aid  of  medicine.  A 
ball  had  passed  through  his  shoulder-blade  in  landing;  not 
withstanding  which  he  had  pressed  into  the  melee,  where,  un 
able  to  parry  it,  a  spear  had  been  thrust  into  his  chest.  The 
last  wound  appeared  grave,  and  Captain  Truck  immediately 
ordered  the  sufferer  to  be  carried  into  the  ship ;  John  Effing- 
ham,  with  a  tenderness  and  humanity  that  were  singularly  in 
contrast  with  his  ordinary  sarcastic  manner,  volunteering  to 
take  charge  of  him. 

"  We  have  need  of  all  our  forces,"  said  Captain  Truck,  as  Mr. 
Monday  was  borne  away ;  "  and  yet  it  is  due  to  our  friends  in 


404  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  launch  to  let  them  know  the  result.  Set  the  ensign,  Leach  ; 
that  will  tell  them  our  success,  though  a  verbal  communication 
can  alone  acquaint  them  with  the  particulars." 

"If,"  interrupted  Paul,  eagerly,  "you  will  lend  me  the 
launch  of  the  Dane,  Mr.  Sharp  and  myself  will  beat  her  up  to 
the  raft,  let  our  friends  know  the  result,  and  bring  the  spars 
down  to  the  inlet.  This  will  save  the  necessity  of  any  of  the 
men's  being  absent.  We  claim  the  privilege,  too,  as  belonging 
properly  to  the  party  that  is  now  absent." 

"  Gentlemen,  take  any  privilege  you  please.  You  have  stood 
by  me  like  heroes  ;  and  I  owe  you  all  more  than  the  heel  of  a 
worthless  old  life  will  ever  permit  me  to  pay." 

The  two  young  men  did  not  wait  for  a  second  invitation,  but 
in  five  minutes  the  boat  was  stretching  through  one  of  the 
channels  that  led  landward ;  and  in  five  more  it  was  laying  out 
of  the  inlet  with  a  steady  breeze. 

The  instant  Captain  Truck  retrod  the  deck  of  his  ship  was 
one  of  uncontrollable  feeling  with  the  weather-beaten  old  sea 
man.  The  ship  had  sewed  too  much  to  admit  of  walking  with 
ease,  and  he  sat  down  on  the  coamings  of  the  main  hatch,  and 
fairly  wept  like  an  infant.  So  high  had  his  feelings  been 
wrought  that  this  outbreaking  was  violent,  and  the  men  wonder 
ed  to  see  their  gray-headed,  stern,  old  commander,  so  com 
pletely  unmanned.  He  seemed  at  length  ashamed  of  the 
weakness  himself,  for,  rising  like  a  worried  tiger,  he  began  to 
issue  his  orders  as  sternly  and  promptly  as  was  his  wont. 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  gaping  at,  men !"  he  growled ; 
"  did  you  never  see  a  ship  on  her  bilge  before  ?  God  knows, 
and  for  that  matter  you  all  know,  there  is  enough  to  do,  that 
you  stand  like  so  many  marines,  with  their  '  eyes  right !'  and 
*  pipe-clay.' " 

"Take  it  more  kindly,  Captain  Truck,"  returned  an  old  sea- 
dog,  thrusting  out  a  hand  that  was  all  knobs,  a  fellow  whose 
tobacco  had  not  been  displaced  even  by  the  fray ;  "  take  it 
kindly,  and  look  upon  all  these  boxes  and  bales  as  so  much 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  405 

cargo  that  is  to  be  struck  in,  in  dock.  We'll  soon  stow  it,  and, 
barring  a  few  slugs,  and  one  four-pounder,  that  has  cut  up  a 
crate  of  crockery  as  if  it  had  been  a  cat  in  a  cupboard,  no  great 
harm  is  done.  I  look  upon  this  matter  as  no  more  than  a  sud 
den  squall,  that  has  compelled  us  to  bear  up  for  a  little  while, 
but  which  will  answer  for  a  winch  to  spin  yarns  on  all  the  rest 
of  our  days.  I  have  fit  the  French,  .and  the  English,  and  the 
Turks,  in  my  time ;  and  now  I  can  say  I  have  had  a  brush  with 
the  niggers." 

"D n  me,  but  you  are  right,  old  Tom !  and  I'll  make  no 

more  account  of  the  matter.  Mr.  Leach,  give  the  people  a  lit 
tle  encouragement.  There  is  enough  left  in  the  jug  that  you'll 
find  in  the  stern-sheets  of  the  pinnace ;  and  then  turn-to,  and 
strike  in  all  this  dunnage,  that  the  Arabs  have  been  scattering 
on  the  sands.  We'll  stow  it  when  we  get  the  ship  into  an 
easier  bed  than  the  one  in  which  she  is  now  lying." 

This  was  the  signal  for  commencing  work ;  and  these  straight 
forward  tars,  who  had  just  been  in  the  confusion  and  hazards 
of  a  fight,  first  took  their  grog,  and  then  commenced  their  labor 
in  earnest.  As  they  had  only,  with  their  knowledge  and  readi 
ness,  to  repair  the  damage  done  by  the  ignorant  and  hurried 
Arabs,  in  a  short  time  every  thing  was  on  board  the  ship  again, 
when  their  attention  was  directed  to  the  situation  of  the  vessel 
itself.  Not  to  anticipate  events,  however,  we  will  now  return 
to  the  party  in  the  launch. 

The  reader  will  readily  imagine  the  feelings  with  which  Mr. 
Effingham  and  his  party  listened  to  the  report  of  the  first  gun. 
As  they  all  remained  below,  they  were  ignorant  who  the  indi 
vidual  really  was  that  kept  pacing  the  roof  over  their  heads, 
though  it  was  believed  to  be  the  second  mate,  agreeably  to  the 
arrangement  made  by  Captain  Truck. 

"  My  eyes  grow  dim,"  said  Mr.  Effingham,  who  was  looking 
through  a  glass ;  "  will  you  try  to  see  what  is  passing,  Eve  ?" 

"Father,  I  cannot  look,"  returned  the  pallid  girl.  "It  is 
misery  enough  to  hear  these  frightful  guns." 


406  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"It  is  awful !"  said  Nanny,  folding  her  arms  about  her  child, 
"  and  I  wonder  that  such  gentlemen  as  Mr.  John  and  Mr.  Povvis 
should  go  on  an  enterprise  so  wicked !" 

"  Voulez-vous  avoir  la  complaisance,  monsieur?"  said  Made 
moiselle  Viefville,  taking  the  glass  from  the  unresisting  hand  of 
Mr.  Effingham.  "Ha!  le  combat  commence  en  effet  /" 

"  Is  it  the  Arabs  who  now  fire  2"  demanded  Eve,  unable,  in 
spite  of  terror,  to  repress  her  interest. 

"  Non,  c'est  cet  admirable  jeune  homme,  Monsieur  Blunt,  qui 
devance  tons  les  autres  /" 

"  And  now,  mademoiselle,  that  must  surely  be  the  barbari 
ans  ?" 

"  Du  tout.  Le  sauvages  fuient.  C'est  encore  du  bateau  de 
Monsieur  Blunt  qu'on  tire.  Quel  beau  courage  !  son  bateau  est 
toujours  des  premiers  /" 

"  That  shout  is  frightful !     Do  they  close  ?" 

"  On  crie  dcs  deux  parts,  je  crois.  Le  vieux  capitaine  est  en 
avant  a  present,  et  Monsieur  Blunt  s'arrete  /" 

"  May  Heaven  avert  the  danger !  Do  you  see  the  gentle 
men  at  all,  mademoiselle  ?" 

" Lafumee  est  trop  epaisse.  Ah!  les  viola!  On  tire  encore 
de  son  bateau" 

"  Eh  bien,  mademoiselle  ?"  said  Eve  tremulously,  after  a  long 
pause. 

"  C'est  deja  fini.  Les  Arabes  se  retirent  et  nos  amis  se  sont 
empares  du  batiment.  Cela  a  £te  1} affaire  d'un  moment,  et  que 
le  combat  a  ete  glorieux!  Ces  jeunes  gens  sont  vraiment  dignes 
d'etre  Francais,  et  le  vieux  capitaine,  aussi" 

"Are  there  no  tidings  for  us,  mademoiselle?"  asked  Eve, 
after  another  long  pause,  during  which  she  had  poured  out  her 
gratitude  in  trembling,  but  secret  thanksgivings. 

"  Non,  j)as  encore.     Us  se  felicitent,  je  crois." 

"  It's  time,  I'm  sure,  ma'am,"  said  the  meek-minded  Ann,  "to 
send  forth  the  dove,  that  it  may  find  the  olive-branch.  War 
and  strife  are  too  sinful  to  be  long  indulged  in." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  407 

"  There  is  a  boat  making^  sail  in  this  direction,"  said  Mr. 
Effing-ham,  who  had  left  the  glass  with  the  governess,  in  com 
plaisance  to  her  wish. 

"  Oui,  Jest  le  bateau  de  Monsieur  Blunt. 

"  And  who  is  in  it  ?"  demanded  the  father,  for  the  meed  of 
a  world  could  not  have  enabled  Eve  to  speak. 

"  Je  vois  Monsieur  Sharp — oui,  Jest  bien  lui" 

"  Is  he  alone  ?" 

"  Non,  il  y  en  a  deux — mais — oui — Jest  Monsieur  Blunt, — 
notrejeune  heros f" 

Eve  bowed  her  face,  and  even  while  her  soul  melted  in  grati 
tude  to  God,  the  feelings  of  her  sex  caused  the  tell-tale  blood  to 
suffuse  her  features  to  the  brightness  of  crimson. 

Mr.  Effingham  now  took  the  glass  from  the  spirited  French 
woman,  whose  admiration  of  brilliant  qualities  had  overcome 
her  fears,  and  he  gave  a  more  detailed  and  connected  account 
of  the  situation  of  things  near  the  ship,  as  they  presented  them 
selves  to  a  spectator  at  that  distance. 

Notwithstanding  they  already  knew  so  much,  it  was  a  pain 
ful  and  feverish  half  hour  to  those  in  the  launch,  the  time  that 
intervened  between  this  dialogue  and  the  moment  when  the 
boat  of  the  Dane  came  alongside  of  their  own.  Every  face  was 
at  the  windows,  and  the  young  men  were  received  like  deliver 
ers,  in  whose  safety  all  felt  a  deep  concern. 

"But,  cousin  Jack,"  said  Eve,  across  whose  speaking  counte 
nance  apprehension  and  joy  cast  their  shadows  and  gleams  like 
April  clouds  driving  athwart  a  brilliant  sky,  "my  father  has 
not  been  able  to  discover  his  form  among  those  who  move 
about  on  the  bank." 

The  gentlemen  explained  the  misfortune  of  Mr.  Monday,  and 
related  the  manner  in  which  John  Effingham  had  assumed  the 
office  of  nurse.  A  few  delicious  minutes  passed;  for  nothing 
is  more  grateful  than  the  happiness  that  first  succeeds  a  vic 
tory,  and  the  young  men  proceeded  to  lift  the  kedge,  assisted 
by  the  servant  of  Mr.  Effingham.  The  sails  were  set ;  and  in 


408  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

fifteen  minutes  the  raft — the  long-desired  and  much-coveted 
raft — approached  the  inlet. 

Paul  steered  the  larger  boat,  and  gave  to  Mr.  Sharp  direc 
tions  how  to  steer  the  other.  The  tide  was  flowing  into  the 
passage ;  and,  by  keeping  his  weatherly  position,  the  young 
man  carried  his  long  train  of  spars  with  so  much  precision  into 
its  opening,  that,  favored  by  the  current,  it  was  drawn  through 
without  touching  a  rock,  and  brought  in  triumph  to  the  very 
margin  of  the  bank.  Here  it  was  secured,  the  sails  and  cordage 
were  brought  ashore,  and  the  whole  party  landed. 

The  last  twenty  hours  seemed  like  a  dream  to  all  the  females, 
as  they  again  walked  the  solid  sand  in  security  and  hope.  They 
had  now  assembled  every  material  of  safety,  and  all  that  re 
mained  was  to  get  the  ship  off  the  shore,  and  to  rig  her ;  Mr. 
Leach  having  already  reported  that  she  was  as  tight  as  the  day 
she  left  London. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  409 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

"Would  I  were  in  an  ale-bouse  in  London! 
I  would  give  all  my  fame  for  a  pot  of  ale  and  safety." 

HENRY  VTH. 

MADEMOISELLE  VIEFVILLE,  with  a  decision  of  intelligence 
that  rendered  her  of  great  use  in  moments  of  need,  hastened  to 
offer  her  services  to  the  wounded  man,  while  Eve,  attended  by 
Ann  Sidley,  ascended  the  ship  and  made  her  way  into  the 
cabins,  in  the  best  manner  the  leaning  position  of  the  vessel 
allowed.  Here  they  found  less  confusion  than  might  have  been 
expected,  the  scene  being  ludicrous,  rather  than  painful,  for  Mr. 
Monday  was  in  his  stateroom  excluded  from  sight. 

In  the  first  place,  the  soi-dimnt  Sir  George  Templemore  was 
counting  over  his  effects,  among  which  he  had  discovered  a 
sad  deficiency  in  coats  and  pantaloons.  The  Arabs  had  respected 
the  plunder,  by  compact,  with  the  intention  of  making  a  fair 
distribution  on  the  reef;  but,  with  a  view  to  throw  a  sop  to  the 
more  rapacious  of  their  associates,  one  room  had  been  sacked 
by  the  permission  of  the  sheiks.  This  unfortunate  room  hap 
pened  to  be  that  of  Sir  George  Templemore  :  and  the  patent 
razors,  the  East  Indian  dressing-case,  the  divers  toys,  to  say 
nothing  of  innumerable  vestments  which  the  young  man  had 
left  paraded  in  his  room,  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  feasting  his 
eyes  on  them,  had  disappeared. 

"  Do  me  the  favor,  Miss  Effingham,"  he  said,  appealing  to 
Eve,  of  whom  he  stood  habitually  in  awe,  from  the  pure  neces 
sity  of  addressing  her  in  his  distress,  or  of  addressing  no  one, 
"do  me  the  favor  to  look  into  my  room,  and  see  the  unprin- 

18 


410  HOMEWARD     BOONi). 

cipled  manner  in  which  I  have  been  treated.  Not  a  comb  nor 
a  razor  left ;  not  a  garment  to  make  myself  decent  in  !  I'm 
sure  such  conduct  is  quite  a  disgrace  to  the  civilization  of  bar 
barians  even,  and  I  shall  make  it  a  point  to  have  the  affair  duly 
represented  to  his  majesty's  minister  the  moment  I  arrive  in 
New  York.  I  sincerely  hope  you  have  been  better  treated, 
though  I  think,  after  this  specimen  of  their  principles,  there  is 
little  hope  for  any  one  :  I'm  sure  we  ought  to  be  grateful  they 
did  not  strip  the  ship.  I  trust  we  shall  all  make  common  cause 
against  them  the  moment  we  arrive." 

O 

"  We  ought,  indeed,  sir,  "  returned  Eve,  who,  while  she  had 
known  from  the  beginning  of  his  being  an  impostor,  was  willing 
to  ascribe  his  fraud  to  vanity,  and  who  now  felt  charitable 
towards  him  on  account  of  the  spirit  he  had  shown  in  the 
combat;  "  though  I  trust  we  shall  have  escaped  better.  Our 
effects  were  principally  in  the  baggage-room,  and  that,  I  under 
stand  from  Captain  Truck,  has  not  been  touched." 

"  Indeed  you  are  very  fortunate,  and  I  can  only  wish  that 
the  same  good  luck  had  happened  to  myself.  But  then,  you 
know,  Miss  Effing-ham,  that  one  has  need  of  his  little  comforts, 
and,  as  for  myself,  I  confess  to  rather  a  weakness  in  that  way." 

"  Monstrous  prodigality  and  wastefulness  !"  cried  Saunders, 
as  Eve  passed  on  towards  her  own  cabin,  willing  to  escape  any 
more  of  Sir  George's  complaints.  "  Just  be  so  kind,  Miss  Effing- 
ham,  ma'am,  to  look  into  this  here  pantry,  once  !  Them  nig 
gers,  I  do  believe,  have  had  their  fingers  in  every  thing,  and  it 
will  take  Toast  and  me  a  week  to  get  things  decorous  and 
orderly  again.  Some  of  the  shrieks"  (for  so  the  steward  styled 
the  chiefs)  "  have  been  yelling  well  in  this  place,  I'll  engage, 
as  you  may  see,  by  the  manner  in  which  they  have  spilt  the 
mustard  and  mangled  that  cold  duck.  I've  a  most  mortal 
awersion  to  a  man  that  cuts  up  poultry  against  the  fibers ;  and, 
would  you  think  it,  Miss  Effingham,  ma'am,  that  the  last  gun 
Mr.  Blunt  fired,  dislocated,  or  otherwise  diwerted,  about  half  a 
dozen  of  the  fowls  that  happened  to  be  in  the  way ;  for  I  let 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  411 

all  the  poor  wretches  out  of  the  coops,  that  they  might  make 
their  own  livings  should  we  never  come  back.  I  should  think 
that  as  polite  and  experienced  a  gentleman  as  Mr.  Blunt  might 
have  shot  the  Arabs  instead  of  my  poultry !" 

"  So  it  is,"  thought  Eve,  as  she  glanced  into  the  pantry  and 
proceeded.  "  What  is  considered  happiness  to-day,  gets  to  be 
misery  to-morrow ;  and  the  rebukes  of  adversity  are  forgotten 
the  instant  prosperity  resumes  its  influence.  Either  of  these 
men,  a  few  hours  since,  would  have  been  most  happy  to  have 
been  in  this  vessel,  as  a  home,  or  a  covering  for  their  heads, 
and  now  they  quarrel  with  their  good  fortune  because  it  is 
wanting  in  some  accustomed  superfluity  or  pampered  indul 
gence." 

We  shall  leave  her  with  this  wholesome  reflection  uppermost, 
to  examine  into  the  condition  of  her  own  room,  and  return  to 
the  deck. 

As  the  hour  was  still  early,  Captain  Truck  having  once 
quieted  his  feelings,  went  to  work  with  zeal,  to  turn  the  late 
success  to  the  best  account.  The  cargo  that  had  been  dis 
charged  was  soon  stowed  again,  and  the  next  great  object  was 
to  get  the  ship  afloat  previously  to  hoisting  in  the  new  spars. 
As  the  kedges  still  lay  on  the  reef,  and  all  the  anchors  re 
mained  in  the  places  where  they  had  originally  been  placed, 
there  was  little  to  do  but  to  get  ready  to  heave  upon  the  chains 
as  soon  as  the  tide  rose.  Previously  to  commencing  this  task, 
however,  the  intervening  time  was  well  employed  in  sending 
down  the  imperfect  hamper  that  was  aloft,  and  in  getting  up 
shears  to  hoist  out  the  remains  of  the  foremast,  as  well  as  the 
jury  mainmast,  the  latter  of  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
only  fitted  two  days  before.  All  the  appliances  used  on  that 
occasion  being  still  on  deck,  and  everybody  lending  a  willing 
hand,  this  task  was  completed  by  noon.  The  jury-mast  gave 
little  trouble,  but  was  soon  lying  on  the  bank  ;  and  then  Cap 
tain  Truck,  the  shears  having  been  previously  shifted,  com 
menced  lifting  the  broken  foremast,  and  just  as  the  cooks  an- 


412  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

nounced  that  the  dinner  was  ready  for  the  people,  the  latter 
safely  deposited  the  spar  on  the  sands. 

"  '  Here,  a  sheer  hulk,  lies  poor  Tom  Bowline,'  "  said  Captain 
Truck  to  Mr.  Blunt,  as  the  crew  came  up  the  staging-  in  their 
way  to  the  galley,  in  quest  of  their  meal.  "  I  have  not  beheld 
the  Montauk  without  a  mast  since  the  day  she  lay  a  new-born 
child  at  the  ship-yards.  I  see  some  half  a  dozen  of  these 
mummified  scoundrels  dodging  about  on  the  shore  yet,  though 
the  great  majority,  as  Mr.  Dodge  would  say,  have  manifested 
a  decided  disposition  to  amuse  themselves  with  a  further  ac 
quaintance  with  the  Dane.  In  my  humble  opinion,  sir,  that 
poor  deserted  ship  will  have  no  more  inside  of  her  by  night, 
than  one  of  Saunders'  ducks  that  have  been  dead  an  hour. 
That  hearty  fellow,  Mr.  Monday,  is  hit,  I  fear,  between  wind 
and  water,  Leach  ?" 

"  He  is  in  a  bad  way,  indeed,  as  I  understand  from  Mr.  John 
Effingham,  who  very  properly  allows  no  one  to  disturb  him,  keep 
ing  the  stateroom  door  closed  on  all  but  himself  and  his  own  man." 

"  Ay,  ay,  that  is  merciful ;  a  man  likes  a  little  quiet  when  he 
is  killed.  As  soon  as  the  ship  is  more  fit  to  be  seen,  how 
ever,  it  will  become  my  duty  to  wait  on  him,  in  order  to  see 
that  nothing  is  wanting.  AVe  must  offer  the  poor  man  the 
consolations  of  religion,  Mr.  Blunt." 

';  They  would  certainly  be  desirable,  had  we  one  qualified 
for  the  task." 

"  I  can't  say  as  much  in  that  way  for  myself,  perhaps,  as  I 
might,  seeing  that  my  father  was  a  priest.  But  then,  we  mas 
ters  of  packets  have  occasion  to  turn  our  hands  to  a  good  many 
odd  jobs.  As  soon  as  the  ship  is  snug,  I  shall  certainly  take  a 
look  at  the  honest  fellow.  Pray,  sir,  what  became  of  Mr.  Dodge 
in  the  skirmish  ?" 

Paul  smiled,  but  he  prudently  answered,  "  I  believe  he  occu 
pied  himself  in  taking  notes  of  the  combat,  and  I  make  no 
doubt  will  do  you  full  justice  in  the  Active  Inquirer,  as  soon  as 
he  gets  its  columns  again  at  his  command." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  413 

"Too  much  learning,  as x my  good  father  used  to  say,  has 
made  him  a  little  mad.  But  I  have  a  grateful  heart  to-day, 
Mr.  Blunt,  and  will  not  be  critical.  I  did  not  perceive  Mr. 
Dodge  in  the  conflict,  as  Saundeis  calls  it,  but  there  were  so 
many  of  those  rascally  Arabs,  that  one  had  not  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  much  else.  We  must  get  the  ship  outside  of  this 
reef  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  for  to  tell  you  a  secret"— 
here  the  captain  dropped  his  voice  to  a  whisper — "there  are 
but  two  rounds  a-piece  left  for  the  small-arms,  and  only  one 
cartridge  for  the  four-pounder.  I  own  to  you  a  strong  desire 
to  be  in  the  offing." 

"  They  will  hardly  attempt  to  board  us,  after  the  specimen 
they  have  had  of  what  we  can  do." 

"  No  one  knows,  sir ;  no  one  knows.  They  keep  pouring 
down  upon  the  coast  like  crowrs  on  the  scent  of  a  carrion ;  and 
once  done  with  the  Dane,  we  shall  see  them  in  hundreds  prowl 
ing  around  us  like  wolves.  How  much  do  we  want  of  high 
water  ?" 

"  An  hour,  possibly.  I  do  not  think  there  is  much  time  to 
lose  before  the  people  get  to  work  at  the  windlass." 

Captain  Truck  nodded,  and  proceeded  to  look  into  the  con 
dition  of  his  ground-tackle.  It  was  a  joyous  but  an  anxious 
moment  when  the  handspikes  were  first  handled,  and  the  slack 
of  one  of  the  chains  began  to  come  in.  The  ship  had  been 
upright  several  hours,  and  no  one  could  tell  how  hard  she 
would  hang  on  the  bottom.  As  the  chain  tightened,  the  gen 
tlemen,  the  officers  included,  got  upon  the  bowrs  and  looked 
anxiously  at  the  effect  of  each  heave ;  for  it  was  a  nervous 
thing  to  be  stranded  on  such  a  coast,  even  after  all  that  had 
occurred. 

"She  winks,  by  George  !"  cried  the  captain  ;  "heave  together, 
men,  and  you  will  stir  the  sand !" 

The  men  did  heave,  gaining  inch  by  inch,  until  no  effort  could 
cause  the  ponderous  machine  to  turn.  The  mates,  and  then  the 
captain,  applied  their  strength  in  succession,  and  but  half  a 


414  H  0  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

turn  more  was  gained.  Everybody  was  now  summoned,  even 
to  the  passengers,  and  the  enormous  strain  seemed  to  threaten 
to  tear  the  fabric  asunder;  and  still  the  ship  was  immovable. 

"  She  hangs  hardest  forward,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Leach  :  "  suppose 
we  run  up  the  stern-boat  ?" 

This  expedient  was  adopted,  and  so  nearly  were  the  counter 
acting  powers  balanced,  that  it  prevailed.  A  strong  heave 
caused  the  ship  to  start,  an  inch  more  of  tide  aided  the  effort, 
and  then  the  vast  hull  slowly  yielded  to  the  purchase,  gradually 
turning  towards  the  anchor,  until  the  quick  blows  of  the  pall 
announced  that  the  vessel  was  fairly  afloat  again. 

"  Thank  God  for  that,  as  for  all  his  mercies  !"  said  Captain 
Truck.  "  Heave  the  hussy  up  to  her  anchor,  Mr.  Leach,  when 
we  will  cast  an  eye  to  her  moorings." 

All  this  was  done,  the  ship  being  effectually  secured,  with 
due  attention  to  a  change  in  the  wind,  that  now  promised  to  be 
permanent.  Not  a  moment  was  lost;  but,  the  sheers  being  still 
standing,  the  foremast  of  the  Dane  was  floated  alongside,  fastened 
to,  and  hove  into  its  new  berth,  with  as  much  rapidity  as  com 
ported  with  care.  When  the  mast  was  fairly  stepped,  Captain 
Truck  rubbed  his  hands  with  delight,  and  immediately  com 
manded  his  subordinate  to  rig  it,  although  by  this  time  the  turn 
of  the  day  had  considerably  passed. 

"  This  is  the  way  with  us  seamen,  Mr.  Effingham,"  he  ob 
served  ;  "  from  the  fall  to  the  fight,  and  then  again  from  the  fight 
to  the  fall.  Our  work,  like  women's,  is  never  done ;  whereas 
you  landsmen  knock  off  with  the  sun,  and  sleep  while  the  corn 
grows.  I  have  always  owed  my  parents  a  grudge  for  bringing 
me  up  to  a  dog's  life." 

"  I  had  understood  it  was  a  choice  of  your  own,  captain." 

"Ay — so  far  as  running  away  and  shipping  without  their 
knowledge  was  concerned,  perhaps  it  was  ;  but  then  it  was  their 
business  to  begin  at  the  bottom,  and  to  train  me  up  in  such  a 
manner  that  I  would  not  run  away.  The  Lord  forgive  me,  too, 
for  thinking  amiss  of  the  two  dear  old  people  ;  for,  to  be  candid 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  415 

with  you,  they  were  much  tao  good  to  have  such  a  son  ;  and  I 
honestly  believe  they  loved  me  more  than  I  loved  myself.  Well, 
I've  the  consolation  of  knowing  I  comforted  the  old  lady  with 
many  a  pound  of  capital  tea  after  I  got  into  the  China  trade, 
ma'amsclle." 

"  She  was  fond  of  it  ?"  observed  the  governess  politely. 

"  She  relished  it  very  much,  as  a  horse  takes  to  oats,  or  a 
child  to  custard.  That,  and  snuff  and  grace,  composed  her 
principal  consolations." 

"  Quoi?"  demanded  the  governess,  looking  towards  Paul  for 
an  explanation. 

"  Grace,  mademoiselle ;  la  grace  de  Dieu" 

"Bien!" 

"  It's  a  sad  misfortune,  after  all,  to  lose  a  mother,  ma'amselle. 
It  is  like  cutting  all  the  headfasts,  and  riding  altogether  by  the 
stern  ;  for  it  is  letting  go  the  hold  of  what  has  gone  before  to 
grapple  with  the  future.  It  is  true  that  I  ran  away  from  my 
mother  when  a  youngster,  and  thought  little  of  it !  but  when  she 
took  her  turn  and  ran  away  from  me,  I  began  to  feel  that  I  had 
made  a  wrong  use  of  my  legs.  What  are  the  tidings  from  poor 
Mr.  Monday  ?" 

"•  I  understand  he  does  not  suffer  greatly,  but  that  he  grows 
weaker  fast,"  returned  Paul.  "  I  fear  there  is  little  hope  of  his 
surviving  such  a  hurt." 

The  captain  had  got  out  a  cigar,  and  had  beckoned  to  Toast 
for  a  coal ;  but  changing  his  mind  suddenly,  he  broke  the  to 
bacco  into  snuff,  and  scattered  it  about  the  deck. 

"  Why  the  devil  is  not  that  rigging  going  up,  Mr.  Leach  ?" 
lie  cried,  fiercely.  "  It  is  not  my  intention  to  pass  the  winter 
at  these  moorings,  and  I  solicit  a  little  more  expedition." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  returned  the  mate,  one  of  a  class  habitually 
patient  and  obedient ;  "  bear  a  hand,  my  lads,  and  get  the  strings 
into  their  places." 

"  Leach,"  continued  the  captain,  more  kindly,  and  still  work 
ing  his  fingers  unconsciously,  "  come  this  way,  my  good  friend. 


416  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

I  have  not  expressed  to  you,  Mr.  Leach,  all  I  wish  to  say  of  your 
good  conduct  in  this  late  affair.  You  have  stood  by  me  like  a 
gallant  fellow  throughout  the  whole  business,  and  I  shall  not 
hesitate  about  saying  as  much  when  we  get  in.  It  is  my  in- 
tendon  to  write  a  letter  to  the  owners,  which  no  doubt  they'll 
publish ;  for,  whatever  they  have  got  to  say  against  America, 
no  one  will  deny  it  is  easy  to  get  any  thing  published.  Pub 
lishing  is  victuals  and  drink  to  the  nation.  You  may  depend 
on  having  justice  done  you." 

"  I  never  doubted  it,  Captain  Truck." 

"No,  sir;  and  you  never  winked.  The  mainmast  does 
not  stand  up  in  a  gale  firmer  than  you  stood  up  to  the 
niggers." 

"  Mr.  Effingham,  sir — and  Mr.  Sharp — and  particularly  Mr. 
Blunt—" 

"  Let  me  alone  to  deal  with  them.  Even  Toast  acted  like 
a  man.  Well,  Leach,  they  tell  me  poor  Monday  must  slip, 
after  all." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  it,  sir ;  Mr.  Monday  laid  about  him 
like  a  soldier !" 

"  He  did,  indeed ;  but  Bonaparte  himself  has  been  obliged  to 
give  up  the  ghost,  and  Wellington  must  follow  him  some  day ; 
even  old  Putnam  is  dead.  Either  you  or  I,  or  both  of  us,  Leach, 
will  have  to  throw  in  some  of  the  consolations  of  religion  on 
this  mournful  occasion." 

"There  is  Mr.  Effingham,  sir,  or  Mr.  John  Effingham  ;  elderly 
gentlemen  with  more  scholarship." 

"  That  will  never  do.  All  they  can  offer,  no  doubt,  will  be 
acceptable,  but  we  owe  a  duty  to  the  ship.  The  officers  of  a 
packet  are  not  graceless  horse-jockeys,  but  sober,  discreet  men, 
and  it  becomes  them  to  show  that  they  have  some  education, 
and  the  right  sort  of  stuff  in  them  on  an  emergency.  I  expect 
you  will  stand  by  me,  Leach,  on  this  melancholy  occasion,  as 
stoutly  as  you  stood  by  me  this  morning." 

"  I  humbly  hope,  sir,  not  to  disgrnoe  the  vessel,  but  it  is  likely 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  417 

Mr.  Monday  is  a  Clmrcli-of-Englaiid-man,  and  we  both  belong 
to  the  Saybrook  Platform  !" 

"  Ah  !  the  devil ! — I  forgot  that !  But  religion  is  religion  ; 
old  line  or  new  line ;  and  I  question  if  a  man  so  near  unmoor 
ing  will  be  very  particular.  The  great  thing  is  consolation,  and 
that  we  must  contrive  to  give  him,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  when 
the  proper  moment  comes  ;  and  now,  Mr.  Leach,  let  the  people 
push  matters,  and  we  shall  have  every  thing  up  forward,  and 
that  mainmast  stepped  yet  by  '  sunset ;'  or  it  would  be  more 
literal  to  say  '  sun-down ;' "  Captain  Truck,  like  a  true  New 
England  man,  invariably  using  a  provincialism  that  has  got  to 
be  so  general  in  America. 

The  work  proceeded  with  spirit,  for  every  one  was  anxious  to 
get  the  ship  out  of  a  berth  that  was  so  critical,  as  well  from 
the  constant  vicinity  of  the  Arabs  as  from  the  dangers  of  the 
weather.  The  wind  baffled  too,  as  it  is  usual  on  the  margin  of 
the  trades,  and  at  times  it  blew  from  the  sea,  though  it  con 
tinued  light,  and  the  changes  were  of  short  continuance.  As 
Captain  Truck  hoped,  when  the  people  ceased  work  at  night,  the 
fore  and  fore-topsail-yards  were  in  their  places,  the  topgallant- 
mast  was  fitted,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  sails,  the  ship  was 
what  is  called  a-tanto,  forward.  Aft,  less  had  been  done,  though 
by  the  assistance  of  the  supernumeraries,  who  continued  to  lend 
their  aid,  the  two  lower  masts  were  stepped,  though  no  rigging 
could  be  got  over  them.  The  men  volunteered  to  work  by 
watches  through  the  night,  but  to  this  Captain  Truck  would 
not  listen,  affirming  that  they  had  earned  their  suppers  and  a 
good  rest,  both  of  which  they  should  have. 

The  gentlemen,  who  merely  volunteered  an  occasional  drag, 
cheerfully  took  the  look-outs,  and  as  there  were  plenty  of  fire 
arms,  though  not  much  powder,  little  apprehension  was  en 
tertained  of  the  Arabs.  As  was  expected,  the  night  passed 
away  tranquilly,  and  every  one  arose  with  the  dawn  refreshed 
and  strengthened. 

The  return  of  day,  however,  brought  the  Arabs  down  upon 
18* 


418  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  shore  in  crowds;  for  the  last  gale,  which  had  been  unusually 
severe,  and  the  tidings  of  the  wrecks,  which  had  been  spread 
by  means  of  the  dromedaries  far  and  wide,  had  collected  a 
force  on  the  coast  that  began  to  be  formidable  through  sheer 
numbers.  The  Dane  had  been  effectually  emptied,  and  plunder 
had  the  same  effect  on  these  rapacious  barbarians  that  blood 
is  known  to  produce  on  the  tiger.  The  taste  had  begotten  an 
appetite,  and  from  the  first  appearance  of  the  light,  those  in 
the  ship  saw  signs  of  a  disposition  to  renew  the  attempt  on 
their  liberty. 

Happily,  the  heaviest  portion  of  the  work  was  done,  and 
Captain  Truck  determined,  rather  than  risk  another  conflict 
with  a  force  that  was  so  much  augmented,  to  get  the  spars  on 
board,  and  to  take  the  ship  outside  of  the  ?eef,  without  waiting 
to  complete  her  equipment.  His  first  orders,  therefore,  when 
all  hands  were  mustered,  were  for  the  boats  to  get  in  the  kedges 
and  the  stream  anchor,  and  otherwise  to  prepare  to  move  the 
vessel.  In  the  mean  time  other  gangs  were  busy  in  getting 
the  rigging  over  the  mast-heads,  and  in  setting  it  up.  As  the 
lifting  of  the  anchors  with  boats  was  heavy  \vork,  by  the  time 
they  were  got  on  board  and  stowed  it  was  noon,  and  all  the 
yards  were  aloft,  though  not  a  sail  was  bent  in  the  vessel. 

Captain  Truck,  while  the  people  were  eating,  passed  through 
the  ship,  examining  every  stay  and  shroud.  There  were  some 
make-shifts,  it  is  true,  but  on  the  whole  he  was  satisfied,  though 
he  plainly  saw  that  the  presence  of  the  Arabs  had  hurried  mat 
ters  a  little,  and  that  a  good  many  drags  would  have  to  be 
given  as  soon  as  they  got  beyond  danger,  and  that  some  atten 
tion  must  be  paid  to  seizings ;  still,  what  had  been  done  would 
answer  very  well  for  moderate  weather,  and  it  was  too  late  to 
stop  to  change. 

The  trade-wind  had  returned,  and  blew  steadily,  as  if  finally 
likely  to  stand ;  and  the  water  outside  of  the  reef  was  smooth 
enough  to  permit  the  required  alterations,  now  that  the  heavier 
spars  were  in  their  places. 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  419 

The  appearance  of  the  Moritauk  certainly  was  not  as  stately 
and  commanding  as  before  the  wreck,  but  there  was  an  air  of 
completeness  about  it  that  augured  well.  It  was  that  of  a  ship 
of  seven  hundred  tons,  fitted  with  spars  intended  for  a  ship  of 
five  hundred.  The  packet  a  little  resembled  a  man  of  six  feet 
in  the  coat  of  a  man  of  five  feet  nine ;  and  yet  the  discrepancy 
would  not  be  apt  to  be  noticed  by  any  but  the  initiated. 
Every  thing  essential  was  in  its  place,  and  reasonably  well  se 
cured,  and,  as  the  Dane  had  been  rigged  for  a  stormy  sea,  Cap 
tain  Truck  felt  satisfied  he  might,  in  his  present  plight,  venture 
on  the  American  coast,  even  in  winter,  without  incurving  un 
usual  hazard. 

As  soon  as  the  hour  of  work  arrived,  therefore,  a  boat  was 
sent  to  drop  a  kedge  as  near  the  inlet  as  it  would  be  safe  to 
venture,  and  a  little  to  windward  of  it.  By  making  a  calcula 
tion,  and  inspecting  his  buoys,  which  still  remained  where  he 
had  placed  them,  Captain  Truck  found  that  lie  could  get  a 
narrow  channel  of  sufficient  directness  to  permit  the  ship  to  be 
warped  as  far  as  this  point  in  a  straight  line.  Every  thing  but 
the  boats  was  now  got  on  board,  the  anchor  by  which  they 
rode  was  hove  up,  and  the  warp  was  brought  to  the  capstan, 
when  the  vessel  slowly  began  to  advance  towards  the  inlet. 

This  movement  was  a  signal  to  the  Arabs,  who  poured  down 
on  both  reefs  in  hundreds,  screaming  and  gesticulating  like 
maniacs.  It  required  good  nerves  and  some  self-reliance  to 
advance  in  the  face  of  such  a  danger,  and  this  so  much  the 
more,  as  the  barbarians  showed  themselves  in  the  greatest  force 
on  the  northern  range  of  rocks,  which  offered  a  good  shelter 
for  their  persons,  completely  raked  the  channel,  and,  moreover, 
lay  so  near  the  spot  \vhere  the  kedge  had  been  dropped,  that 
one  might  have  jerked  a  stone  from  the  one  to  the  other.  To 
add  to  the  awkwardness  of  the  affair,  the  Arabs  began  to  fire 
with  those  muskets  that  are  of  so  little  service  in  close  encoun 
ters,  but  which  are  notorious  for  sending  their  shot  with  great 
precision  from  a  distance.  The  bullets  came  thick  upon  the 


420  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

ship,  though  the  stoutness  of  the  bulwarks  forward,  and  their 
height,  as  yet  protected  the  men. 

In  this  dilemma,  Captain  Truck  hesitated  about  continuing 
to  haul  ahead,  and  he  sent  for  Mr.  Blunt  and  Mr.  Leach  for  a 
consultation.  Both  these  gentlemen  advised  perseverance,  and 
as  the  counsel  of  the  former  will  succinctly  show  the  state  of 
things,  it  shall  be  given  in  his  own  words. 

"  Indecision  is  always  discouraging  to  one's  friends,  and  en 
couraging  to  one's  enemies,"  he  said,  "  and  I  recommend  per 
severance.  The  nearer  we  haul  to  the  rocks,  the  greater  will 
be  our  command  of  them,  while  the  more  the  chances  of  the 
Arabs  throwing  their  bullets  on  our  decks  will  be  diminished. 
Indeed,  so  long  as  we  ride  head  to  wind,  they  cannot  fire  low 
enough  to  effect  their  object  from  the  northern  reef,  and  on  the 
southern  they  will  not  venture  very  near,  for  want  of  cover. 
It  is  true,  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  bend  our  sails  or  to 
send  out  a  boat  in  the  face  of  so  heavy  a  fire,  while  our  assail 
ants  are  so  effectually  covered ;  but  we  may  possibly  dislodge 
them  with  the  gun,  or  with  our  small-arms,  from  the  decks.  If 
not,  I  will  head  a  party  into  the  tops,  from  which  I  will  undertake 
to  drive  them  out  of  the  reach  of  our  muskets  in  five  minutes." 

"  Such  a  step  would  be  very  hazardous  to  those  who  ven 
tured  aloft." 

"  It  would  not  be  without  danger,  and  some  loss  must  be 
expected ;  but  they  who  fight  must  expect  risks." 

"  In  which  case  it  will  be  the  business  of  Mr.  Leach  and 
myself  to  head  the  parties  aloft.  If  we  are  obliged  to  console 
the  dying,  damn  me,  but  we  are  entitled  to  the  privilege  of 
fighting  the  living." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  put  in  the  mate ;  "  that  stands  to  reason." 

"  There  are  three  tops,  gentlemen,"  returned  Paul,  mildly, 
"and  I  respect  your  rights  too  much  to  wish  to  interfere  with 
them.  We  can  each  take  one,  and  the  effect  will  be  in  pro 
portion  to  the  greater  means  we  employ — one  vigorous  assault 
being  worth  a  dozen  feints." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  421 

Captain  Track  shook  Paul  heartily  by  the  hand,  and  adopted 
his  advice.  When  the  young  man  had  retired,  he  turned  to 
the  mate,  and  said — 

"After  all,  these  men-of-war's  men  are  a  little  beyond  us  in 
the  science  of  attack  arid  defence,  though  I  think  I  could  give 
him  a  hint  in  the  science  of  signs.  I  have  had  two  or  three 
touches  at  privateering  in  my  time,  but  no  regular  occupation 
in  your  broadside  work.  Did  you  see  how  Mr.  Blunt  handled 
his  boat  yesterday  ?  As  much  like  two  double  blocks  and  a 
steady  drag  as  one  belay  ing-pin  is  like  another,  and  as  coolly  as 
a  great  lady  in  London  looks  at  one  of  us  in  a  state  of  nature. 
For  my  part,  Leach,  I  was  as  hot  as  mustard,  and  ready  to  cut 
the  throat  of  the  best  friend  I  had  on  earth ;  whereas  he  was 
smiling  as  I  rowed  past  him,  though  I  could  hardly  see  his  face 
for  the  smoke  of  his  own  gun." 

"  Yes,  sir,  that's  the  way  with  your  regular  builts.  I'll  war 
rant  you  he  began  young,  and  had  kicked  all  the  passion  out 
of  himself  on  old  salts,  by  the  time  he  was  eighteen.  He 
doesn't  seem,  neither,  like  one  of  the  true  d — n-my-eye  breed ; 
but  it's  a  great  privilege  to  a  man  in  a  passion  to  be  allowed 
to  kick  when  and  whom  he  likes." 

"  Not  he.  I  say,  Leach,  perhaps  he  might  lend  us  a  hand 
when  it  comes  to  the  pinch  with  poor  Monday.  I  have  a 
great  desire  that  the  worthy  fellow  should  take  his  departure 
decently." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  think  you  had  better  propose  it.  For  my  part, 
I'ni  quite  willing  to  go  into  all  three  of  the  tops  alone,  rather 
than  disappoint  a  dying  man." 

The  captain  promised  to  look  to  the  matter,  and  then  they 
turned  their  attention  to  the  ship,  which  in  a  few  more  minutes 
was  up  as  near  the  kedge  as  it  was  prudent  to  haul  her. 


422  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

"  Speed,  gallant  bark,  the  tornado  is  past ; 
Staunch  and  secure  thou  hast  weathered  the  blast ; 
Now  spread  thy  full  sails  to  the  wings  of  the  morn, 
And  soon  the  glad  haven  shall  greet  thy  return.111 

PARK. 

THE  Montauk  now  lay  close  to  the  inlet,  and  even  a  little  to 
windward  of  its  entrance ;  but  the  channel  was  crooked,  not  a 
sail  was  bent,  nor  was  it  possible  to  bend  one  properly  without 
exposing  the  men  to  the  muskets  of  the  Arabs,  who,  from  firing 
loosely,  had  got  to  be  more  wary  and  deliberate,  aiming  at  the 
places  where  a  head  or  an  arm  was  occasionally  seen.  To 
prolong  this  state  of  things  was  merely  to  increase  the  evil,  and 
Captain  Truck  determined  to  make  an  effort  at  once  to  dislodge 
his  enemies. 

With  this  view  the  gun  was  loaded  in-board,  filled  nearly  to 
the  muzzle  with  slugs,  and  then  it  was  raised  with  care  to  the 
topgallant-forecastle,  and  cautiously  pushed  forward  near  the 
gunwale.  Had  the  barbarians  understood  the  construction  of  a 
vessel,  they  might  have  destroyed  half  the  packet's  crew  while 
they  were  thus  engaged  about  the  forecastle,  by  firing  through 
the  planks  ;  but,  ignorant  of  the  weakness  of  the  defences,  they 
aimed  altogether  at  the  openings,  or  over  the  rails. 

By  lowering  the  gaff  the  spanker  was  imperfectly  bent ;  that 
is  to  say,  it  was  bent  on  the  upper  leach.  The  boom  was  got 
in  under  cover  of  the  hurricane-house,  and  of  the  bundle  of  the 
sail ;  the  out-hauler  was  bent,  the  boom  replaced,  the  sail  being- 
hoisted  with  a  little  and  a  hurried  lacing  to  the  luff.  This  was 
not  effected  without  a  good  deal  of  hazard,  though  the  near 
ness  of  the  bows  of  the  vessel  to  the  rocks  prevented  most  of 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  423 

the  Arabs  from  perceiving  what  passed  so  far  aft.  Still,  others 
nearer  to  the  shore  caught  glimpses  of  the  actors,  and  several 
narrow  escapes  were  the  consequence.  The  second  mate,  in 
particular,  had  a  shot  through  his  hat  within  an  inch  of  his 
head.  By  a  little  management,  notwithstanding,  the  luff  of  the 
spanker  was  made  to  stand  tolerably  well ;  and  the  ship  had  at 
least  the  benefit  of  this  one  sail. 

The  Dane  had  been  a  seaman  of  the  old  school ;  and,  instead 
of  the  more  modern  spenser,  his  ship  had  been  fitted  with  old- 
fashioned  staysails.  Of  these  it  was  possible  to  bend  the  main 
and  mizzen  staysails  in  tolerable  security,  provided  the  ends  of 
the  halyards  could  be  got  down.  As  this,  however,  would  be 
nearly  all  aftersail,  the  captain  determined  to  make  an  effort  to 
overhaul  the  buntlines  and  leachlines  of  the  foresail,  at  the 
same  time  that  men  were  sent  aloft  after  the  ends  of  the  hal 
yards.  He  also  thought  it  possible  to  set  a  fore-topmast  staysail 
flying. 

No  one  was  deceived  in  this  matter.  The  danger  and  the 
mode  of  operating  were  explained  clearly,  and  then  Captain 
Truck  asked  for  volunteers.  These  were  instantly  found ;  Mr. 
Leach  and  the  second  mate  setting  the  example  by  stepping  for 
ward  as  the  first  two.  In  order  that  the  whole  procedure  may 
be  understood,  however,  it  shall  be  explained  more  fully. 

Two  men  were  prepared  to  run  up  on  the  foreyard  at  the 
word.  Both  of  these,  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Leach,  carried 
three  small  balls  of  marline,  to  the  end  of  each  of  which  was  at 
tached  a  cod-hook,  the  bark  being  filed  off  in  order  to  prevent 
its  being  caught.  By  means  of  these  hooks  the  balls  were 
fastened  to  the  jackets  of  the  adventurers.  Two  others  stood 
ready  at  the  foot  of  the  main  and  mizzen  riggings.  By  the  gun 
lay  Paul  and  three  men ;  while  several  of  the  passengers,  and  a 
few  of  the  best  shots  among  the  crew,  were  stationed  on  the 
forecastle,  armed  with  muskets  and  fowling-pieces. 

"  Is  everybody  ready  ?"  called  out  the  captain  from  the 
quarter-deck. 


424  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  All  ready  !"  and  "  Ay  !  ay,  sir  !"  were  answered  from  the 
different  points  of  the  ship. 

"  Haul  out  the  spanker !" 

As  soon  as  this  sail  was  set,  the  stern  of  the  ship  swung 
round  towards  the  inlet,  so  as  to  turn  the  bow  on  which  the 
gun  was  placed  towards  the  part  of  the  reef  where  the  Arabs 
were  in  greatest  numbers. 

"  Be  steady,  men  !  and  no  not  hurry  yourselves,  though  active 
as  wild-cats  !  Up,  and  away  !" 

The  two  foreyard  men,  and  the  two  by  the  after-masts,  sprang 
into  the  rigging  like  squirrels,  and  were  running  aloft  before  the 
captain  had  done  speaking.  At  the  same  instant  one  of  the 
three  by  the  gun  leaped  on  the  bowsprit,  and  ran  out  towards 
the  stay.  Paul  and  the  other  two  rose  and  shoved  the  gun  to 
its  berth,  and  the  small-arms  men  showed  themselves  at  the 
rails. 

So  many,  all  in  swift  motion,  appearing  at  the  same  moment 
in  the  rigging,  distracted  the  attention  of  the  Arabs  for  an  in 
stant,  though  scattering  shots  were  fired.  Paul  knew  that  the 
danger  would  be  greatest  when  the  men  aloft  were  stationary, 
and  he  was  in  no  haste.  Perhaps  for  half  a  minute  he  was  busy 
in  choosing  his  object,  and  in  levelling  the  gun,  and  then  it  was 
fired.  He  had  chosen  the  moment  well ;  for  Mr.  Leach  and  his 
fellow  adventurers  were  already  on  the  foreyard,  and  the  Arabs 
had  arisen  from  their  covers  in  the  eagerness  of  taking  aim. 
The  small-arms  men  poured  in  their  volley,  and  then  little  more 
could  be  done  in  the  way  of  the  offensive,  nearly  all  the  powder 
in  the  ship  having  been  expended. 

It  remains  to  tell  the  result  of  this  experiment.  Among  the 
Arabs  a  few  fell,  and  those  most  exposed  to  the  fire  from  the 
ship  were  staggered,  losing  near  a  minute  in  their  confusion  ; 
but  those  more  remote  maintained  hot  discharges  after  the  first 
surprise.  The  whole  time  occupied  in  what  we  are  going  to 
relate  was  about  three  minutes  ;  the  action  of  the  several  parts 
going  on  simultaneously. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  425 

The  adventurer  forward,  though  nearest  to  the  enemy,  was 
least  exposed.  Partly  covered  by  the  bowsprit,  he  ran  nimbly 
out  on  that  spar  till  he  reached  the  stay.  Here  he  cut  the  stop 
of  the  fore-topmast  halyards,  overhauled  the  running  part,  and 
let  the  block  swing  in.  He  then  hooked  a  block  that  he  had 
carried  out  with  him,  and  in  which  the  bight  of  a  rope  had 
been  rove  through  the  thimble,  and  ran  in  as  fast  as  possible. 
This  duty,  which  had  appeared  the  most  hazardous  of  all  the 
different  adventures,  on  account  of  the  proximity  of  the  bowsprit 
to  the  reef,  was  the  first  done,  and  with  the  least  real  risk ;  the 
man  being  partly  concealed  by  the  smoke  of  the  gun,  as  well  as 
by  the  bowsprit.  He  escaped  uninjured. 

As  the  two  men  aft  pursued  exactly  the  same  course,  the 
movements  of  one  will  explain  those  of  the  other.  On  reach 
ing  the  yard,  the  adventurer  sprang  on  it,  caught  the  hook  of 
the  halyard-block,  and  threw  himself  off  without  an  instant's 
hesitation,  overhauling  the  halyards  by  his  weight.  Men  stood 
in  readiness  below  to  check  the  fall  by  easing  off  the  other  end 
of  the  rope,  and  the  hardy  fellow  reached  the  deck  in  safety. 
This  seemed  a  nervous  undertaking  to  the  landsmen ;  but  the 
seamen  who  so  well  understood  the  machinery  of  their  vessel, 
made  light  of  it. 

On  the  foreyard,  Mr.  Leach  passed  out  on  one  yard-arm, 
and  his  co-adventurer,  a  common  seaman,  on  the  other.  Each 
left  a  hook  in  the  knot  of  the  inner  buntline,  as  he  went  out, 
and  dropped  the  ball  of  marline  on  deck.  The  same  was  done 
at  the  outer  buntlines,  and  at  the  leachlines.  Here  the  mate  re 
turned,  according  to  his  orders,  leaped  upon  the  rigging,  and 
thence  upon  a  backstay,  when  he  slid  on  deck  with  a  velocity 
that  set  aim  at  defiance.  Notwithstanding  the  quickness  of  his 
motions,  Mr.  Leach  received  a  trifling  hit  on  the  shoulder,  and 
several  bullets  whizzed  near  him. 

The  seaman  on  the  other  yard-arm  succeeded  equally  well, 
escaping  the  smallest  injury,  until  he  had  secured  the  leachline, 
when,  knowing  the  usefulness  of  obtaining  it,  for  he  was  on  the 


42G  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

weather  side  of  the  ship,  he  determined  to  bring  in  the  end  of 
the  reef-tackle  with  him.  Calling  out  to  let  go  the  rope  on  the 
deck,  he  ran  out  to  the  lift,  bent  over  and  secured  the  desired 
end,  and  raised  himself  erect,  with  the  intention  to  make  a  run 
in,  on  the  top  of  the  yard.  Captain  Truck  and  the  second  mate 
had  both  commanded  him  to  desist  in  vain,  for  impunity  from 
harm  had  rendered  him  fool-hardy.  In  this  perilous  position 
he  even  paused  to  give  a  cheer.  The  cry  was  scarcely  ended 
when  he  sprang  off  the  yard  several  feet  upwards  and  fell  per 
pendicularly  towards  the  sea,  carrying  the  rope  in  his  hand. 
At  first,  most  on  board  believed  the  man  had  jumped  into  the 
water  as  the  least  hazardous  means  of  getting  down,  depending 
on  the  rope,  and  on  swimming,  for  his  security  ;  but  Paul 
pointed  out  the  spot  of  blood  that  stained  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
at  the  point  where  he  had  fallen.  The  reef-tackle  was  rounded 
cautiously  in,  and  its  end  rose  to  the  surface  without  the  hand 
that  had  so  lately  grasped  it.  The  man  himself  never  reap 
peared. 

Captain  Truck  had  now  the  means  of  setting  three  staysails, 
the  spanker,  and  the  fore-course  ;  sails  sufficient,  he  thought,  to 
answer  his  present  purposes.  The  end  of  the  reef-tackle,  that 
had  been  so  dearly  bought,  was  got  in,  by  means  of  a  light  line 
which  was  thrown  around  it. 

The  order  was  now  given  to  brail  the  spanker,  and  to  clap  on 
and  weigh  the  kedge,  which  was  done  by  the  run.  As  soon  as 
the  ship  was  free  of  the  bottom,  the  fore-topmast-staysail  was 
set  flying,  like  a  jib-topsail,  by  hauling  out  the  tack  and  sway 
ing  upon  the  halyards.  The  sheet  was  hauled  to  windward, 
and  the  helm  put  down ;  of  course  the  bows  of  the  ship  began 
to  fall  off,  and,  as  soon  as  her  head  was  sufficiently  near  her 
course,  the  sheet  was  drawn,  and  the  wheel  shifted. 

Captain  Truck  now  ordered  the  foresail,  which  by  this  time 
was  ready,  to  be  set.  This  important  sail  was  got  on  the  vessel, 
by  bending  the  buntlines  and  leachlines  to  its  head,  and  by 
hauling  out  the  weather-head-cringle  by  means  of  the  reef- 


HOME  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  427 

tackle.  As  soon  as  this  broad  spread  of  canvas  was  on  the 
ship,  her  motion  was  accelerated,  and  she  began  to  move  away 
from  the  spot,  followed  by  the  furious  cries  and  menaces  of  the 
Arabs.  To  the  latter  no  one  paid  any  heed,  but  they  were 
audible  until  drowned  in  distance.  Although  aided  by  all  her 
spars,  and  the  force  of  the  wind  on  her  hull,  a  body  as  large  as 
the  Montauk  required  some  little  time  to  overcome  the  vis  in- 
ertice,  and  several  anxious  minutes  passed  before  she  was  so  far 
from  the  cover  of  the  Arabs  as  to  prevent  their  clamor  from 
seeming  to  be  in  the  very  ears  of  those  on  board.  When  this 
did  occur,  it  brought  inexpressible  relief,  though  it  perhaps  in 
creased  the  danger,  by  increasing  the  chances  of  the  bullets 
hitting  objects  on  deck. 

The  course  at  first  was  nearly  before  the  wind,  when  the  flat 
rock,  so  often  named,  being  reached,  the  ship  was  compelled  to 
haul  up  on  an  easy  bowline,  in  order  to  pass  to  windward  of  it. 
Here  the  staysails  aft  and  the  spanker  were  set,  which  aided  in 
bringing  the  vessel  to  the  wind,  and  the  fore-tack  was  brought 
down.  By  laying  straight  out  of  the  pass,  a  distance  of  only  a 
hundred  yards,  the  vessel  would  be  again  clear  of  every  thing, 
and  beyond  all  the  dangers  of  the  coast,  so  long  as  the  present 
breeze  stood.  But  the  tide  set  the  vessel  bodily  towards  the 
rock,  and  her  condition  did  not  admit  of  pressing  hard  upon  a 
bowline.  Captain  Truck  was  getting  to  be  uneasy,  for  he  soon 
perceived  that  they  were  nearing  the  danger,  though  very 
gradually,  and  he  began  to  tremble  for  his  copper.  Still  the 
vessel  drew  steadily  ahead,  and  he  had  hopes  of  passing  the 
outer  edge  of  the  rocks  in  safety.  This  outer  edge  was  a  broken, 
ragged,  and  pointed  fragment,  that  Avould  break  in  the  planks 
should  the  vessel  rest  upon  it  an  instant,  while  falling  in  that 
constant  heaving  and  setting  of  the  ocean,  which  now  began  to 
be  very  sensibly  felt.  After  all  his  jeopardy,  the  old  mariner 
saw  that  his  safety  was  at  a  serious  hazard,  by  one  of  those  un 
foreseen  but  common  risks  that  environ  the  seaman's  life. 

"Luff!  luff!  you  can,"  cried  Captain  Truck,  glancing  his  eye 


428  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

from  the  rock  to  the  sails,  and  from  the  sails  to  the  rock.    "  Luff, 
sir — you  are  at  the  pinch !" 

"  Luff  it  is,  sir !"  answered  the  man  at  the  wheel,  who  stood 
abaft  the  hurricane-house,  covered  by  its  roof,  over  which  he 
was  compelled  to  look,  to  get  a  view  of  the  sails.  "  Luff  I  may, 
and  luff  it  is,  sir." 

Paul  stood  at  the  captain's  side,  the  crew  being  ordered  to 
keep  themselves  as  much  covered  as  possible,  on  account  of  the 
bullets  of  the  Arabs,  which  were  at  this  time  pattering  against 
the  vessel,  like  hail  at  the  close  of  a  storm. 

"  We  shall  not  weather  that  point  of  ragged  rock,"  exclaimed 
the  young  man,  quickly ;  "  and  if  we  touch  it  the  ship  will  be 
lost." 

"Let  her  claw  off,"  returned  the  old  man  sternly.  "Her 
cutwater  is  up  with  it  already.  Let  her  claw  off." 

The  bows  of  the  ship  were  certainly  up  with  the  danger,  and 
the  vessel  was  slowly  drawing  ahead ;  but  every  moment  its 
broadside  was  set  nearer  to  the  rock,  which  was  now  within 
fifty  feet  of  them.  The  fore-chains  were  past  the  point,  though 
little  hope  remained  of  clearing  it  abaft.  A  ship  turns  on  her 
centre  of  gravity  as  on  a  pivot,  the  two  ends  inclining  in  oppo 
site  directions ;  and  Captain  Truck  hoped  that  as  the  bows  were 
past  the  danger,  it  might  be  possible  to  throw  the  afterpart  of 
the  vessel  up  to  the  wind,  by  keeping  away,  and  thus  clear  the 
spot  entirely. 

'•  Hard  up  with  your  helm  !"  he  shouted  ;  "  hard  up  ! — Haul 
down  the  mizzen-staysail,  and  give  her  sheet !" 

The  sails  were  attended  to,  but  no  answer  came  from  the 
wheel,  nor  did  the  vessel  change  her  course. 

"  Hard  up,  I  tell  you,  sir — hard  up — hard  up,  and  be  d d 

to  you  !" 

The  usual  reply  was  not  made.  Paul  sprang  through  the 
narrow  gangway  that  led  to  the  wheel.  All  that  passed  took 
but  a  minute,  and  yet  it  was  the  most  critical  minute  that  had 
yet  befallen  the  Montauk ;  for  had  she  touched  that  rock  but 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  429 

for  an  instant,  human  art  could  hardly  have  kept  her  above 
water  an  hour. 

"Hard  up,  and  be  d d  to  you!"  repeated  Captain  Truck, 

in  a  voice  of  thunder,  as  Paul  darted  round  the  corner  of  the 
hurricane-house. 

The  seaman  stood  at  the  wheel,  grasping  its  spokes  firmly, 
his  eyes  aloft  as  usual,  but  the  turns  of  the  tiller  rope  showed 
that  the  order  was  not  obeyed. 

"  Hard  up,  man,  hard  up  !  are  you  mad  ?"  Paul  uttered 
these  words  as  he  sprang  to  the  wheel,  which  he  made  whirl 
with  his  own  hands  in  the  required  direction.  As  for  the  sea 
man,  he  yielded  his  hold  without  resistance,  and  fell  like  a  log*, 
as  the  wheel  flew  round.  A  ball  had  entered  his  back,  and 
passed  through  his  heart,  and  yet  he  had  stood  steadily  to  the 
spokes,  as  the  true  mariner  always  clings  to  the  helm  while 
life  lasts. 

The  bows  of  the  ship  fell  heavily  off,  and  her  stern  pressed 
up  towards  the  wind ;  but  the  trifling  delay  so  much  augment 
ed  the  risk,  that  nothing  saved  the  vessel  but  the  formation  of 
the  run  and  counter,  which,  by  receding  as  usual,  allowed  room 
to  escape  the  dangerous  point,  as  the  Montauk  hove  by  on  a 
swell. 

Paul  could  not  see  the  nearness  of  the  escape,  but  the  puri 
ty  of  the  water  permitted  Captain  Truck  and  his  mates  to 
observe  it  with  a  distinctness  that  almost  rendered  them 
breathless.  Indeed  there  was  an  instant  when  the  sharp  rock 
was  hid  beneath  the  counter,  and  each  momentarily  expected 
to  hear  the  grating  of  the  fragment,  as  it  penetrated  the  ves 
sel's  bottom. 

"  Relieve  that  man  at  the  wheel,  and  send  him  hither  this 
moment,"  said  Captain  Truck,  in  a  calm  stern  voice,  that  was 
more  ominous  than  an  oath. 

The  mate  called  a  seaman,  and  passed  aft  himself  to  execute 
the  order.  In  a  minute  he  and  Paul  returned,  bearing  tho 
body  of  the  dead  mariner,  when  all  was  explained. 


430  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"Lord,  thy  ways  are  unsearchable!"  muttered  the  old  master, 
uncovering  himself,  as  the  corpse  was  carried  past,  "  and  we 
are  but  as  grains  of  seed,  and  as  the  vain  butterflies  in  thy 
hand !" 

The  rock  once  cleared,  an  open  ocean  lay  to  leeward  of  the 
packet,  and  bringing  the  wind  a  little  abaft  the  beam,  she 
moved  steadily  awav  from  those  rocks  that  had  been  the  wit 
nesses  of  all  her  recent  dangers.  It  was  not  long  before  she 
was  so  distant  that  all  danger  from  the  Arabs  ceased.  The 
barbarians,  notwithstanding,  continued  a  dropping  fire  and 
furious  gesticulations,  long  after  their  bullets  and  menaces  be 
came  matters  of  indifterence  to  those  on  board. 

The  body  of  the  dead  man  was  laid  between  the  masts,  and 
the  order  was  past  to  bend  the  sails.  As  all  was  ready,  in  half 
an  hour  the  Montauk  was  standing  off  the  land  under  her  three 
topsails,  the  reef  now  distant  nearly  a  league.  The  courses 
came  next,  when  the  topgallant-yards  were  crossed  and  the 
sails  set ;  the  lighter  canvas  followed,  and  some  time  before  the 
sun  disappeared,  the  ship  was  under  studding-sails,  standing  to 
the  westward,  before  the  trades. 

For  the  first  time  since  he  received  the  intelligence  that  the 
Arabs  were  the  masters  of  the  ship,  Captain  Truck  now  felt 
real  relief.  He  was  momentarily  happy  after  the  combat,  but 
new  cares  had  pressed  upon  him  so  soon,  that  he  could 
scarcely  be  said  to  be  tranquil.  Matters  were  now  changed. 
His  vessel  was  in  good  order,  if  not  equipped  for  racing,  and, 
as  he  was  in  a  low  latitude,  had  the  trade-winds  to  befriend  him, 
and  no  longer  entertained  any  apprehension  of  his  old  enemy 
the  Foam,  he  felt  as  if  a  mountain  had  been  removed  from  his 
breast. 

"Thank  God,"  he  observed  to  Paul,  "I  shall  sleep  to-night 
without  dreaming  of  Arabs  or  rocks,  or  scowling  faces  at  New 
York.  They  may  say  that  another  man  might  have  shown 
more  skill  in  keeping  clear  of  such  a  scrape,  but  they  will  hard 
ly  say  that  another  man  could  have  got  out  of  it  better.  All 


HO  ME  WARD      BOUND.  431 

this  handsome  outfit,  too,  will  cost  the  owners  nothing- — literally 
nothing ;  and  I  question  if  the  poor  Dane  will  ever  appear  to 
claim  the  sails  and  spars.  I  do  not  know  that  we  are  in  pos 
session  of  them  exactly  according  to  the  law  of  Africa,  for  of 
that  code  I  know  little ;  or  according  to  the  law  of  nations,  for 
Vattel,  I  believe,  has  nothing  on  the  subject ;  but  we  are  in 
possession  so  effectually,  that,  barring  the  nor'westers  on  the 
American  coast,  I  feel  pretty  certain  of  keeping  them  until  we 
make  the  East  River." 

"  It  might  be  better  to  bury  the  dead,"  said  Paul ;  for  he 
knew  Eve  would  scarcely  appear  on  deck  as  long  as  the  body 
remained  in  sight.  "  Seamen,  you  know,  are  superstitious  on 
the  subject  of  corpses." 

"  I  have  thought  of  this,  but  hoped  to  cheat  those  two  ras 
cals  of  sharks  that  are  following  in  our  wake,  as  if  they  scented 
their  food.  It  is  an  extraordinary  thing,  Mr.  Blunt,  that  these 
fish  should  know  when  there  is  a  body  in  a  ship,  and  that  they 
will  follow  it  a  hundred  leagues  to  make  sure  of  their  prey." 

"  It  would  be  extraordinary,  if  true  ;  but  in  what  manner  has 
the  fact  been  ascertained  ?" 

"  You  see  the  two  rascally  pirates  astern  ?"  observed  Mr. 
Leach. 

"  Very  true  ;  but  we  might  also  see  them  were  there  no  dead 
body  about  the  ship.  Sharks  abound  in  this  latitude,  and  I 
have  seen  several  about  the  reef  since  we  went  in." 

"  They'll  be  disappointed  as  to  poor  Tom  Smith,"  said  the 
mate,  "  unless  they  dive  deep  for  him.  I  have  lashed  one  of 
Napoleon's  busts  to  the  fine  fellow's  feet,  and  he'll  not  fetch  up 
until  he's  snugly  anchored  on  the  bottom." 

"  This  is  a  fitting  hour  for  solemn  feelings,"  said  the  captain, 
gazing  about  him  at  the  heavens  and  the  gathering  gloom  of 
twilight.  "Call  all  hands  to  bury  the  dead,  Mr.  Leach.  I  con 
fess  I  should  feel  easier  myself  as  to  the  weather,  were  the  body 
fairly  out  of  the  ship." 

While  the  mate  went  forward  to  muster  the  people,  the  cap- 


432  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

tain  took  Paul  aside  with  a  request  that  he  would  perform  the 
last  offices  for  the  deceased. 

"  I  will  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  myself,"  he  said  ;  "  for  I 
should  not  like  the  people  to  see  one  of  the  crew  go  overboard, 
and  the  officers  have  no  word  to  say  in  the  ceremonies ;  it 
might  beget  disrespect,  and  throw  a  slur  on  our  knowledge  ; 
but  you  mau-of-war's-men  are  generally  more  regularly  brought 
up  to  prayers  than  us  liners,  and  if  you  have  a  proper  book  by 
you,  I  should  feel  infinitely  obliged  if  you  would  give  us  a  lift 
on  this  melancholy  occasion." 

Paul  proposed  that  Mr.  Effingham  should  be  asked  to  offici 
ate,  as  he  knew  that  gentleman  read  prayers  in  his  cabin,  to  his 
own  party,  night  and  morning. 

"  Does  he  ?"  said  the  captain  "then  he  is  rny  man,  for  he 
must  have  his  hand  in,  and  there  will  be  no  stammering  or 
boggling.  Ay,  ay ;  he  will  fetch  through  on  one  tack.  Toast, 
go  below,  and  present  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Effingham,  and 
say  I  should  like  to  speak  to  him ;  and,  harkee,  Toast,  desire 
him  to  put  a  prayer-book  in  his  pocket,  and  then  step  into  my 
stateroom,  and  bring  up  the  Bible  you  will  find  under  the  pil 
low.  The  Arabs  had  a  full  chance  at  the  plunder ;  but  there 
is  something  about  the  book  that  always  takes  care  of  it.  Few 
rogues,  I've  often  remarked,  care  about  a  Bible.  They  would 
sooner  steal  ten  novels  than  one  copy  of  the  sacred  writ.  This 
of  mine  was  my  mother's,  Mr.  Blunt,  and  I  should  have  been  a 
better  man  had  I  overhauled  it  oftener." 

We  pass  over  most  of  the  arrangements,  and  come  at  once  to 
the  service,  and  to  the  state  of  the  ship,  just  as  her  inmates  were 
assembled  on  an  occasion  which  no  want  of  formality  can  ren 
der  any  thing  but  solemn  and  admonitory.  The  courses  were 
hauled  up,  and  the  maintop-sail  had  been  laid  to  the  mast,  a 
position  in  which  a  ship  has  always  an  air  of  stately  repose. 
The  body  was  stretched  on  a  plank  that  lay  across  a  rail,  the 
leaden  bust  being  inclosed  in  the  hammock  that  enveloped  it. 
A  spot  of  blood  on  the  cloth  alone  betrayed  the  nature  of  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  433 

death.  Around  the  body  were  grouped  the  crew,  while  Captain 
Truck  and  his  mates  stood  at  the  gangway.  The  passengers 
were  collected  on  the  quarter-deck,  with  Mr.  Effingham,  hold 
ing  a  prayer-book,  a  little  in  advance. 

The  sun  had  just  dipped  into  the  ocean,  and  the  whole 
western  horizon  was  glorious  with  those  soft,  pearly,  rainbow 
hues  that  adorn  the  evening  and  the  morning  of  a  low  latitude, 
during  the  soft  weather  of  the  autumnal  months.  To  the  east 
ward,  the  low  line  of  coast  was  just  discernible  by  the  hillocks 
of  sand,  leaving  the  imagination  to  portray  its  solitude  and 
wastes.  The.  sea  in  all  other  directions  was  dark  and  gloomy, 
and  the  entire  character  of  the  sunset  was  that  of  a  grand  pic 
ture  of  ocean  magnificence  and  extent,  relieved  by  a  sky  in 
which  the  tints  came  and  went  like  the  well-known  colors  of 
the  dolphin  :  to  this  must  be  added  the  gathering  gloom  of 
twilight. 

Eve  pressed  the  arm  of  John  Effingham,  and  gazed  with  ad 
miration  and  awe  at  the  imposing  scene. 

"  This  is  the  seaman's  grave  !"  she  whispered. 

"  And  worthy  it  is  to  be  the  tomb  of  so  gallant  a  fellow.  The 
man  died  clinging  to  his  post ;  and  Powis  tells  me  that  his  hand 
was  loosened  from  the  wheel  with  difficulty." 

They  were  silent,  for  Captain  Truck  uncovered  himself,  as 
did  all  around  him,  placed  his  spectacles,  and  opened  the  sacred 
volume.  The  old  mariner  was  far  from  critical  in  his  selections 
of  readings,  and  he  usually  chose  some  subject  that  he  thought 
would  most  interest  his  hearers,  which  were  ordinarily  those 
that  most  interested  himself.  To  him  Bible  was  Bible,  and  he 
now  turned  to  the  passage  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  in  which 
the  voyage  of  St.  Paul  from  Judea  to  Rome  is  related.  This 
he  read  with  steadiness,  some  quaintness  of  pronunciation,  and 
with  a  sort  of  breathing  elasticity,  whenever  he  came  to  those 
verses  that  touched  particularly  on  the  navigation. 

Paul  maintained  his  perfect  self-command  during  this  extra 
ordinary  exhibition,  but  an  unbidden  smile  lingered  around  the 

19 


434  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

handsome  and  chiselled  mouth  of  Mr.  Sharp.  John  Effingham's 
curved  face  was  sedate  and  composed,  while  the  females  were 
too  much  impressed  to  exhibit  any  levity.  As  to  the  crew, 
they  listened  in  profound  attention,  occasionally  exchanging 
glances  whenever  any  of  the  nautical  expedients  struck  them  as 
being  out  of  rule. 

As  soon  as  this  edifying  chapter  was  ended,  Mr.  Effingham 
commenced  the  solemn  rites  for  the  dead.  At  the  first  sound 
of  his  voice,  a  calm  fell  on  the  vessel  as  if  the  Spirit  of  God  had 
alighted  from  the  clouds,  and  a  thrill  passed  through  the  frames 
of  the  listeners.  Those  solemn  words  of  the  Apostle  com 
mencing  with,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  saith  the 
Lord ;  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  he 
shall  live  :  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  he  shall 
never  die,"  could  not  have  been  better  delivered.  The  voice, 
intonation,  utterance,  and  manner  of  Mr.  Effingham  were  emi 
nently  those  of  a  gentleman  ;  without  pretension,  quiet,  simple, 
and  mellow,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  were  feeling,  digni 
fied,  distinct,  and  measured. 

When  he  pronounced  the  words,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth  : 
and  though,  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  rny  body,  yet  in  my 
flesh  shall  I  see  God,"  &c.,  &c,,  the  men  stared  about  them  as 
if  a  real  roice  from  heaven  had  made  the  declaration,  and  Cap 
tain  Track  looked  aloft  like  one  expecting  a  trumpet-blast.  The 
tears  of  Eve  began  to  flow  as  she  listened  to  the  much-loved 
tones ;  and  the  stoutest  heart  in  that  much-tried  ship  quailed. 
John  Effingham  made  the  responses  of  the  psalm  steadily,  and 
Mr.  Sharp  and  Paul  soon  joined  him.  But  the  profoundest 
effect  was  produced  when  the  office  reached  those  consoling  but 
startling  words  from  the  Revelations,  commencing  with,  "  I 
heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me  write,  from  hence 
forth  blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord,"  &c.  Captain 
Truck  afterwards  confessed  that  he  thought  he  heard  the  very 
voice,  and  the  men  actually  pressed  together  in  their  alarm. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  435 

The  plunge  of  the  body  was  also  a  solemn  instant.  It  went  off 
the  end  of  the  plank  feet  foremost,  and,  carried  rapidly  down  by 
the  great  weight  of  the  lead,  the  water  closed  above  it,  oblitera 
ting  every  trace  of  the  seaman's  grave.  Eve  thought  that  its  exit 
resembled  the  few  brief  hours  that  draw  the  veil  of  oblivion 
around  the  mass  of  mortals  when  they  disappear  from  earth. 

Instead  of  asking  for  the  benediction  at  the  close  of  the  cere 
mony,  Mr.  Effingham  devoutly  and  calmly  commenced  the 
psalm  of  thanksgiving  for  victory,  "  If  the  Lord  had  not  been 
on  our  side,  now  may  we  say,  if  the  Lord  himself  had  not  been 
on  our  side,  when  men  rose  up  against  us,  they  would  have 
swallowed  us  up  quick,  when  they  were  so  wrathfully  displeased 
with  us."  Most  of  the  gentlemen  joined  in  the  responses,  and 
the  silvery  voice  of  Eve  sounded  sweet  and  holy  amid  the 
breathings  of  the  ocean.  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  "  We  praise 
thee,  O  God !  we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  the  Lord  !"  "  All 
the  earth  doth  worship  thee,  the  Father  everlasting ;"  closed  the 
offices,  when  Mr.  Effingham  dismissed  his  congregation  with 
the  usual  layman's  request  for  the  benediction. 

Captain  Truck  had  never  before  been  so  deeply  impressed 
with  any  religious  ceremony,  and  when  it  ceased  he  looked 
wistfully  over  the  side  at  the  spot  where  the  body  had  fallen, 
or  where  it  might  be  supposed  to  have  fallen — for  the  ship  had 
drifted  some  distance — as  one  takes  a  last  look  at  the  grave  of 
a  friend. 

"Shall  we  fill  the  maintop-sail,  sir?"  demanded  Mr.  Leach, 
after  waiting  a  minute  or  two  in  deference  to  his  commander's 
feelings;  "or  shall  we  hook  on  the  yard-tackles,  and  stow  the 
launch  ?" 

"  Not  yet,  Leach,  not  yet ;  it  will  be  unkind  to  poor  Jack  to 
hurry  away  from  his  grave  so  indecently.  I  have  observed 
that  the  people  about  the  river  always  keep  in  sight  till  the 
last  sod  is  stowed  and  the  rubbish  is  cleared  away.  The  fine 
fellow  stood  to  those  spokes  as  a  close-reefed  topsail  in  a  gale 
stands  the  surges  of  the  wind,  and  we  owe  him  this  little  respect." 


436 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


"The  boats,  sir?" 

"  Let  them  tow  a  while  longer.  It  will  seem  like  deserting 
him  to  be  rattling  the  yard-tackles  and  stowing  boats  directly 
over  his  head.  Your  gran'ther  was  a  priest,  Leach,  and  I  won 
der  you  don't  see  the  impropriety  of  hurrying  away  from  a 
grave.  A  little  reflection  will  hurt  none  of  us." 

The  mate  admired  at  a  mood  so  novel  for  his  commander, 
but  he  was  fain  to  submit.  The  day  was  fast  closing  notwith 
standing,  and  the  skies  were  losing  their  brilliancy  in  hues  that 
were  still  softer  and  more  melancholy,  as  if  nature  delighted, 
too,  in  sympathizing  with  the  feelings  of  these  lone  mariners. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  437 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

"Sir,  'tis  my  occupation  to  be  plain." 


LEAK. 


THE  barbarians  had  done  much  less  injury  to  the  ship  and 
her  contents  than  under  the  circumstances  could  have  been 
reasonably  hoped.  The  fact  that  nothing  could  be  effectually 
landed  where  she  lay  was  probably  the  cause,  the  bales  that 
had  actually  been  got  out  of  the  ship  having  been  put  upon 
the  bank  with  a  view  to  lighten  her,  more  than  for  any  other 
reason.  The  compact,  too,  between  the  chiefs  had  its  influence 
probably,  though  it  could  not  have  lasted  long  with  so  strong 
temptations  to  violate  it  constantly  before  the  eyes  of  men 
habitually  rapacious. 

Of  course,  one  of  the  first  things  after  each  individual  had 
ascertained  his  own  losses,  was  to  inquire  into  those  of  his 
neighbors,  and  the  usual  party  in  the  ladies'  cabin  was  seated 
around  the  sofa  of  Eve,  about  nine  in  the  evening,  conversing 
on  this  topic,  after  having  held  a  short  but  serious  discourse  on 
their  recent  escape. 

"  You  tell  me,  John,  that  Mr.  Monday  has  a  desire  to  sleep  ?" 
observed  Mr.  Effingham,  in  the  manner  in  which  one  puts  an 
interrogation. 

"  He  is  easier,  and  dozes.  I  have  left  my  man  with  him, 
with  orders  to  summon  me  the  instant  he  awakes." 

A  melancholy  pause  succeeded,  and  then  the  discourse  took 
the  channel  from  which  it  had  been  diverted. 

"  Is  the  extent  of  our  losses  in  effects  known  ?"  asked  Mr. 


438  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

Sharp.  "  My  man  reports  some  trifling  deficit,  but  nothing  of 
any  value." 

"  Your  counterfeit,"  returned  Eve,  smiling,  "  has  been  the 
principal  sufferer.  One  would  think,  by  his  plaints,  that  not  a 
toy  is  left  in  Christendom." 

"  So  long  as  they  have  not  stolen  from  him  his  good  name  I 
shall  not  complain,  as  I  may  have  some  use  for  it  when  we 
reach  America,  of  which  now,  God  be  praised  !  there  are  some 
flattering  prospects." 

"  I  understand  from  my  connections  that  the  person  who  is 
known  in  the  main  cabin  as  Sir  George  Templemore,  is  not  the 
person  who  is  known  as  such  in  this,"  observed  John  Effing- 
ham,  bowing  to  Mr.  Sharp,  who  returned  his  salute  as  one  ac 
knowledges  an  informal  introduction.  "  There  are  certainly 
weak  men  to  be  found  in  high  stations  all  over  the  world,  but 
you  will  probably  think  I  am  doing  honor  to  my  own  sagacity, 
when  I  say  that  I  suspected,  from  the  first,  that  he  wras  not  the 
true  Amphitryon.  I  had  heard  of  Sir  George  Templemore, 
and  had  been  taught  to  expect  more  in  him  than  even  a  man 
of  fashion — a  man  of  the  world — while  this  poor  substitute 
can  scarcely  lay  claim  to  be  either." 

John  Effingham  so  seldom  complimented  that  his  kind  words 
usually  told,  and  Mr.  Sharp  acknowledged  the  politeness,  more 
gratified  than  he  was  probably  willing  to  acknowledge  to  him 
self.  The  other  could  have  heard  of  him  only  from  Eve  and 
her  father,  and  it  was  doubly  grateful  to  be  spoken  of  favorably 
in  such  a  quarter.  He  tnought  there  was  a  consciousness  in 
the  slight  suffusion  that  appeared  on  the  face  of  the  daughter, 
which  led  him  to  hope  that  even  the  latter  had  not  considered 
him  unworthy  of  recollection ;  for  he  cared  but  little  for  the 
remembrances  of  Mr.  Effingham,  if  they  could  all  be  transferred 
to  his  child. 

"  This  person,  who  does  me  the  honor  to  relieve  me  from 
the  trouble  of  bearing  rny  own  name,"  he  resumed,  "  cannot  be 
of  very  lofty  pretensions,  or  he  would  have  aspired  higher.  I 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  439 

suspect  him  of  being  merely  one  of  those  silly  young  country 
men  of  mine,  of  whom  so  many  crowd  stage-coaches  and  pack 
ets,  to  swagger  over  their  less  ambitious  fellow-mortals  with  the 
strut  and  exactions  of  the  hour." 

"And  yet,  apart  from  his  folly  in  'sailing  under  false  colors,' 
as  our  worthy  captain  would  call  it,  the  man  seems  well 
enough." 

"  A  folly,  cousin  Jack,"  said  Eve,  with  laughing  eyes,  though 
she  maintained  a  perfect  demureness  with  her  beautiful  features, 
"  that  he  shares  in  common  with  so  many  others  !" 

"  Very  true,  though  I  suspect  he  has  climbed  to  commit  it, 
while  others  have  been  content  to  descend.  The  man  himself 
behaved  well  yesterday,  showing  steadiness  as  well  as  spirit  in 
the  fray." 

"  I  forgive  him  his  usurpation  for  his  conduct  on  that  occa 
sion,"  returned  Mr.  Sharp,  "  and  wish  with  all  my  heart  the 
Arabs  had  discovered  less  affection  for  his  curiosities.  I  should 
think  that  they  must  find  themselves  embarrassed  to  ascertain 
the  uses  of  some  of  their  prizes — such,  for  instance,  as  the  but 
ton-hooks,  the  shoe-horn,  knives  with  twenty  blades,  and  other 
objects  that  denote  a  profound  civilization." 

"  You  have  not  spoken  of  your  luck,  Mr.  Powis,"  added  Mr. 
Effingham  ;  "  I  trust  you  have  fared  as  well  as  most  of  us, 
though,  had  they  visited  their  enemies  according  to  the  injury 
received  from  them,  you  would  be  among  the  heaviest  of  the 
sufferers." 

"My  loss,"  replied  Paul,  mournfully,  "is  not  much  in  pecu 
niary  value,  though  irreparable  to  me." 

A  look  of  concern  betrayed  the  general  interest,  for,  as  he 
really  seemed  sad,  there  was  a  secret  apprehension  that  his 
loss  even  exceeded  that  which  his  words  would  give  them  rea 
son  to  suppose.  Perceiving  the  curiosity  that  was  awakened, 
and  which  was  only  suppressed  by  politeness,  the  young  man 
added : 

"  I  miss  a  miniature,  that  to  me  is  of  inestimable  value." 


440  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Eve's  heart  throbbed,  while  her  eyes  sunk  to  the  carpet. 
The  others  seemed  amazed,  and  after  a  brief  pause,  Mr.  Sharp 
observed — 

"  A  painting  on  its  own  account  would  hardly  possess  much 
value  with  such  barbarians.  Was  the  setting  valuable  ?" 

"  It  was  of  gold,  of  course,  and  had  some  merit  in  the  way 
of  workmanship.  It  has  probably  been  taken  as  curious,  rather 
than  for  its  specific  value ;  though  to  me.  as  I  have  just  said, 
the  ship  itself  could  scarcely  be  of  more  account — certainly  riot 
as  much  prized." 

"  Many  light  articles  have  been  merely  mislaid ;  taken  away 
through  curiosity  or  idleness,  and  left  where  the  individual 
happened  to  be  at  the  moment  of  changing  his  mind,"  said 
John  Effingham  ;  "  several  things  of  mine  have  been  scattered 
through  the  cabins  in  this  manner,  and  I  understand  that 
divers  vestments  of  the  ladies  have  found  their  way  into  the 
staterooms  of  the  other  cabin ;  particularly  a  night-cap  of 
Mademoiselle  Viefville's,  that  has  been  discovered  in  Captain 
Truck's  room,  and  which  that  gallant  seaman  has  forthwith 
condemned  as  a  lawful  waif.  As  he  never  uses  such  a  device 
on  his  head,  he  will  be  compelled  to  wear  it  next  his  heart. 
He  will  be  compelled  to  convert  it  into  a  libcrty-utvp" 

"  Ciel!  if  the  excellent  captain  will  carry  us  safe  to  New 
York,"  coolly  returned  the  governess,  "he  shall  have  the  prize, 
de  tout  mon  cceur ;  cest  un  homme  brave,  et  Jest  aussi  un 
brave  homme,  a  safacon" 

"  Here  are  two  hearts  concerned  in  the  affair  already,  and  no 
one  can  foresee  the  consequences ;  but,"  turning  to  Paul,  "  de 
scribe  this  miniature,  if  you  please,  for  there  are  many  in  the 
vessel,  and  yours  is  not  the  only  one  that  has  been  mislaid." 

"  It  was  a  miniature  of  a  female,  and  one  too,  I  think,  that 
would  be  remarked  for  her  beauty." 

Eve  felt  a  chill  at  her  heart. 

"  If,  sir,  it  is  the  miniature  of  an  elderly  lady,"  said  Ann  Sid- 
ley,  "  perhaps  it  is  this  which  I  found  in  Miss  Eve's  room,  and 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  441 

which  1  intended  to  give  to  Captain  Truck  in  order  that  it 
might  reach  the  hands  of  its  right  owner." 

Paul  took  the  miniature,  which  he  regarded  coldly  for  a 
moment,  and  then  returned  to  the  nurse. 

"  Mine  is  the  miniature  of  a  female  under  twenty,"  he  said, 
coloring  as  he  spoke ;  "  and  is  every  way  different  from  this." 

This  was  the  painful  and  humiliating  moment  when  Eve 
Effing-ham  was  made  to  feel  the  extent  and  the  nature  of  the 
interest  she  took  in  Paul  Powis.  On  all  the  previous  occasions 
in  which  her  feelings  had  been  strongly  awakened  on  his  ac 
count,  she  had  succeeded  in  deceiving  herself  as  to  the  motive, 
but  now  the  truth  was  felt  in  that  overwhelming  form  that  no 
sensitive  heart  can  distrust. 

No  one  had  seen  the  miniature,  though  all  observed  the 
emotion  with  which  Paul  spoke  of  it,  and  all  secretly  wondered 
of  whom  it  could  be. 

"  The  Arabs  appear  to  have  some  such  taste  for  the  fine  arts 
as  distinguishes  the  population  of  a  mushroom  American  city," 
said  John  Effingham ;  "  or  one  that  runs  to  portraits,  which  are 
admired  while  the  novelty  lasts,  and  then  are  consigned  to  the 
first  spot  that  offers  to  receive  them." 

"  Are  your  miniatures  all  safe,  Eve  ?"  Mr.  Effingham  inquired 
with  interest ;  for  among  them  was  one  of  her  mother  that  he 
had  yielded  to  her  only  through  strong  parental  affection,  but 
which  it  would  have  given  him  deep  pain  to  discover  was  lost, 
though  John  Effingham,  unknown  to  him,  possessed  a  copy. 

"  It  is  with  the  jewelry  in  the  baggage-room,  dearest  father, 
and  untouched  of  course.  We  are  fortunate  that  our  passing 
wants  did  not  extend  beyond  our  comforts,  and  luckily  they  are 
not  of  a  nature  to  be  much  prized  by  barbarians.  Coquetry  and 
a  ship  have  little  in  common,  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville  and 
myself  had  not  much  out  to  tempt  the  marauders." 

As  Eve  uttered  this,  both  the  young  men  involuntarily  turned 
their  eyes  towards  her,  each  thinking  that  a  being  so  fair  stood 
less  in  need  than  common  of  the  factitious  aid  of  ornaments. 


442  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

She  was  dressed  in  a  dark  French  chintz,  that  her  maid  had 
fitted  to  her  person  in  a  manner  that  it  would  seem  none  but  a 
French  assistant  can  accomplish,  setting  off  her  falling  shoul 
ders,  finely-moulded  bust,  and  slender-rounded  waist,  in  a  way 
to  present  a  modest  outline  of  their  perfection.  The  dress  had 
that  polished  medium  between  fashion  and  its  exaggeration, 
that  always  denotes  a  high  association,  and  perhaps  a  cultivated 
mind — certainly  a  cultivated  taste — offending  neither  usage  on 
the  one  hand,  nor  self-respect  and  a  chaste  appreciation  of 
beauty  on  the  other.  Indeed,  Eve  was  distinguished  for  that 
important  acquisition  to  a  gentlewoman,  an  intellectual  or  re 
fined  toilette ;  not  intellect  and  refinement  in  extravagance  and 
caricature,  but  as  they  are  displayed  in  fitness,  simplicity,  ele 
gance,  and  the  proportions.  This  much,  perhaps,  she  owed  to 
native  taste,  as  the  slight  air  of  fashion,  and  the  high  air  of  a 
gentlewoman,  that  were  thrown  about  her  person  and  attire, 
were  the  fruits  of  an  intimate  connection  with  the  best  society 
of  half  thje  capitals  of  the  European  continent.  As  an  unmar 
ried  female,  modesty,  the  habits  of  the  part  of  the  world  in 
which  she  had  so  long  dwelt,  and  her  own  sense  of  propriety, 
caused  her  to  respect  simplicity  of  appearance ;  but  through 
this,  as  it  might  be  in  spite  of  herself,  shone  qualities  of  a  su 
perior  order.  The  little  hand  and  foot,  so  beautiful  and  deli 
cate,  the  latter  just  peeping  from  the  dress  under  which  it  was 
usually  concealed,  appeared  as  if  formed  expressly  to  adorn  a 
taste  that  was  every  way  feminine  and  alluring. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  grand  designs  of  Providence, 
that  men  should  exist  in  conditions  so  widely  distant  from  each 
other,"  said  John  Effingham,  abruptly,  "with  a  common  nature 
that  can  be  so  much  varied  by  circumstances.  It  is  almost  hu 
miliating  to  find  one's  self  a  man,  when  beings  like  these  Arabs 
are  to  be  classed  as  fellows." 

"  The  most  instructed  and  refined,  cousin  Jack,  may  get  a 
useful  lesson,  notwithstanding  your  disrelish  for  the  consan 
guinity,  from  this  very  identity  of  nature,"  said  Eve,  who  made 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  443 

a  rally  to  overcome  feelings  that  she  deemed  girlish  and  weak. 
"By  showing  us  what  we  might  be  ourselves,  we  get  an  admo 
nition  of  humility ;  or  by  reflecting  on  the  difference  that  is 
made  by  education,  does  it  not  strike  you  that  there  is  an  en 
couragement  to  persevere  until  better  things  are  attained  ?" 

"  This  globe  is  but  a  ball,  and  a  ball,  too,  insignificant,  even 
when  compared  with  the  powers  of  man,"  continued  the  other. 
"How  many  navigators  now  circle  it!  even  you,  sir,  may  have 
done  this,  young  as  you  still  are,"  turning  to  Paul,  who  made 
a  bow  of  assent :  "  and  yet,  within  these  narrow  limits,  what 
wonderful  varieties  of  physical  appearance,  civilization,  laws, 
and  even  of  color,  do  we  find,  all  mixed  up  with  points  of 
startling  affinity." 

u  So  far  as  a  limited  experience  has  enabled  me  to  judge," 
observed  Paul,  "  I  have  everywhere  found,  not  only  the  same 
nature,  but  a  common  innate  sentiment  of  justice  that  seems 
universal ;  for  even  amidst  the  wildest  scenes  of  violence,  or  of 
the  most  ungovernable  outrages,  this  sentiment  glimmers 
through  the  more  brutal  features  of  the  being.  The  rights  of 
property,  for  instance,  are  everywhere  acknowledged ;  the  very 
wretch  who  steals  whenever  he  can,  appearing  conscious  of  his 
crime,  by  doing  it  clandestinely,  and  as  a  deed  that  shuns  ob 
servation.  All  seem  to  have  the  same  general  notions  of  nat 
ural  justice,  and  they  are  forgotten  only  through  the  policy  of 
systems,  irresistible  temptation,  the  pressure  of  want,  or  the  re 
sult  of  contention." 

"  Yet,  as  a  rule,  man  everywhere  oppresses  his  weaker  fel 
low." 

"  True  ;  but  he  betrays  consciousness  of  his  error,  directly  or 
indirectly.  One  can  show  his  sense  of  the  magnitude  of  his 
crime  even  by  the  manner  of  defending  it.  As  respects  our 
late  enemies,  I  cannot  say  I  felt  any  emotion  of  animosity  while 
the  hottest  engaged  against  them,  for  their  usages  have  ren 
dered  their  proceedings  lawful." 

"They   tell    me,"    interrupted    Mr.   Effingham,    "that  it  is 


444  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

owing  to  your  presence  of  mind  and  steadiness  that  more  blood 
was  not  shed  unnecessarily." 

"  It  may  be  questioned,"  continued  Paul,  noticing  this  com 
pliment  merely  by  an  inclination  of  the  head,  "  if  civilized 
people  have  not  reasoned  themselves,  under  the  influence  of  in 
terest,  into  the  commission  of  deeds  quite  as  much  opposed  to 
natural  justice  as  any  thing  done  by  these  barbarians.  Perhaps 
no  nation  is  perfectly  free  from  the  just  imputation  of  having 
adopted  some  policy  quite  as  unjustifiable  in  itself  as  the  sys 
tem  of  plunder  maintained  among  the  Arabs." 

"  Do  you  count  the  rights  of  hospitality  as  nothing  ?" 

"  Look  at  France,  a  nation  distinguished  for  refinement, 
among  its  rulers  at  least.  It  was  but  the  other  day  that  the 
effects  of  the  stranger  who  died  in  her  territory  were  appro 
priated  to  the  uses  of  a  monarch  wallowing  in  luxury.  Com 
pare  this  law7  with  the  treaties  that  invited  strangers  to  repair 
to  the  country,  and  the  wants  of  the  monarch  who  exhibited 
the  rapacity,  to  the  situation  of  the  barbarians  from  whom  we 
have  escaped,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  temptation  we  offered, 
and  it  does  not  appear  that  the  advantage  is  much  with  Chris 
tians.  But  the  fate  of  shipwrecked  mariners  all  over  the  world 
is  notorious.  In  countries  the  most  advanced  in  civilization 
they  are  plundered,  if  there  is  an  opportunity,  and,  at  need, 
frequently  murdered." 

"This  is  a  frightful  picture  of  humanity,"  said  Eve,  shudder 
ing.  "  I  do  not  think  that  this  charge  can  be  justly  brought 
against  America." 

"  That  is  far  from  certain.  America  has  many  advantages 
to  weaken  the  temptation  to  crime,  but  she  is  very  far  from 
perfect.  The  people  on  some  of  her  coasts  have  been  accused 
of  resorting  to  the  old  English  practice  of  showing  false  lights, 
with  a  view  to  mislead  vessels,  and  of  committing  cruel  depre 
dations  on  the  wrecked.  In  all  things  I  believe  there  is  a  dis 
position  in  man  to  make  misfortune  weigh  heaviest  on  the  un 
fortunate.  Even  the  coffin  in  which  we  inter  a  friend  costs 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  445 

more  than  any  other  piece  oFwork  of  the  same  amount  of  labor 
and  materials." 

''This  is  a  gloomy  picture  of  humanity,  to  be  drawn  by  one 
so  young,"  Mr.  Effingham  mildly  rejoined. 

"I  think  it  true.  All  men  do  not  exhibit  their  selfishness 
and  ferocity  in  the  same  way ;  but  there  are  few  who  do  not 
exhibit  both.  As  for  America,  Miss  Effingham,  she  is  fast 
getting  vices  peculiar  to  herself  and  her  system,  and,  I  think, 
vices  which  bid  fair  to  bring  her  down,  ere  long,  to  the  com 
mon  level,  although  I  do  not  go  quite  so  far  in  describing  her 
demerits  as  some  of  the  countrymen  of  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
have  gone." 

"And  what  may  that  have  been?"  asked  the  governess 
eagerly,  in  English. 

"  Pourrie  avant  d'etre  mtire.  Mitre,  America  is  certainly  far 
from  being ;  but  I  am  not  disposed  to  accuse  her  yet  of  being 
quite  pourrie.''' 

"  We  had  flattered  ourselves,"  said  Eve,  a  little  reproach 
fully,  "  with  having  at  last  found  a  countryman  in  Mr. 
Powis." 

"  And  how  would  that  change  the  question  ?  Or,  do  you 
admit  that  an  American  can  be  no  American,  unless  blind  to 
the  faults  of  the  country,  however  great?" 

"  Would  it  be  generous  for  a  child  to  turn  upon  a  parent  that 
all  others  assail  ?" 

"  You  put  the  case  ingeniously,  but  scarcely  with  fairness. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  parent  to  educate  and  correct  the  child, 
but  it  is  the  duty  of  the  citizen  to  reform  and  improve  the 
character  of  his  country.  How  can  the  latter  be  done,  if 
nothing  but  eulogies  are  dealt  in  ?  With  foreigners,  one  should 
not  deal  too  freely  with  the  faults  of  his  country,  though  even 
with  the  liberal  among  them  one  would  wish  to  be  liberal,  for 
foreigners  cannot  repair  the  evil ;  but  with  one's  countrymen  I 
see  little  use  and  much  danger,  in  observing  a  silence  as  to 
faults.  The  American,  of  all  others,  it  appears  to  me,  should 


44(5  U  O  M   K  W  A  K  I)      BOUND. 

be  the  boldest  in  denouncing  the  common  and  national  vices, 
since  he  is  one  of  those  who,  by  the  institutions  themselves,  has 
the  power  to  apply  the  remedy." 

"  But  America  is  an  exception,  I  think,  or  perhaps  it  would 
be  better  to  say  I  feel,  since  all  other  people  deride  at,  mock 
her,  and  dislike  her.  You  will  admit  this  yourself,  Sir  George 
Templemore  ?" 

"  By  no  means :  in  England,  now,  I  consider  America  to  be 
particularly  well  esteemed." 

Eve  held  up  her  pretty  hands,  and  even  Mademoiselle  Vief- 
ville,  usually  so  well-toned  and  self-restrained,  gave  a  visible 
shrug. 

"  Sir  George  means  in  his  county,"  drily  observed  John 
Effing-ham. 

"  Perhaps  the  parties  would  better  understand  each  other," 
said  Paul,  coolly,  "  were  Sir  George  Templemore  to  descend  to 
particulars.  He  belongs  himself  to  the  liberal  school,  and  may 
be  considered  a  safe  witness." 

"  I  shall  be  compelled  to  protest  against  a  cross-examination 
on  such  a  subject,"  returned  the  baronet,  laughing.  "You  will 
be  satisfied,  1  am  certain,  with  my  simple  declaration.  Perhaps 
we  still  regard  the  Americans  as  tant  sort  pen  rebels ;  but  that 
is  a  feeling  that  will  soon  cease." 

"  That  is  precisely  the  point  on  which  I  think  liberal  English 
men  usually  do  great  justice  to  America,  while  it  is  on  other 
points  that  they  betray  a  national  dislike." 

"England  believes  America  hostile  to  herself;  and  if  love 
creates  love,  dislike  creates  dislike." 

"  This  is  at  least  something  like  admitting  the  truth  of  the 
charge,  Miss  Effingham,"  said  John  Effingham,  smiling,  "  and 
we  may  dismiss  the  accused.  It  is  odd  enough  that  England 
should  consider  America  as  rebellious,  as  is  the  case  with  many 
Englishmen,  I  acknowledge,  while,  in  truth,  England  herself 
was  the  rebel,  and  this,  too,  in  connection  with  the  very  ques 
tions  that  produced  the  American  revolution." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  447 

"  This  is  quite  new,"  said  Sir  George,  "  and  I  confess  some 
curiosity  to  see  how  it  can  be  made  out." 

John  Effingham  did  not  hesitate  about  stating  his  case. 

"  In  the  first  place  you  are  to  forget  professions  and  names," 
he  said,  "  and  to  look  only  at  facts  and  things.  When  Ameri 
ca  was  settled,  a  compact  was  made,  either  in  the  way  of  char 
ters  or  of  organic  laws,  by  which  all  the  colonies  had  distinct 
rights,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  confessed  allegiance  to 
the  king.  But  in  that  age  the  English  monarch  was  a  king. 
He  used  his  veto  on  the  laws,  for  instance,  and  otherwise  exer 
cised  his  prerogatives.  Of  the  two,  he  influenced  parliament 
more  than  parliament  influenced  him.  In  such  a  state  of 
things,  countries  separated  by  an  ocean  might  be  supposed  to 
be  governed  equitably,  the  common  monarch  feeling  a  common 
parental  regard  for  all  his  subjects.  Perhaps  distance  might 
render  him  even  more  tender  of  the  interest  of  those  who  were 
not  present  to  protect  themselves." 

"This  is  putting  the  case  loyally,  at  least,"  said  Sir  George, 
as  the  other  paused  for  a  moment. 

"  It  is  precisely  in  that  light  that  I  wish  to  present  it.  The 
degree  of  power  that  parliament  possessed  over  the  colonies 
was  a  disputed  point ;  but  I  am  willing  to  allow  that  parlia 
ment  had  all  power." 

"In  doing  which,  I  fear,  you  will  concede  all  the  merits," 
said  Mr.  Effingham. 

"  I  think  not.  Parliament  then  ruled  the  colonies  absolute 
ly  and  legally,  if  you  please,  under  the  Stuarts  ;  but  the  English 
rebelled  against  these  Stuarts,  dethroned  them,  and  gave  the 
crown  to  an  entirely  new  family, — one  with  only  a  remote  alli 
ance  with  the  reigning  branch.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  the 
king  was  curtailed  in  his  authority  ;  the  prince,  who  might 
with  justice  be  supposed  to  feel  a  common  interest  in  all  his 
subjects,  became  a  mere  machine  in  the  hands  of  a  body  who 
represented  little  more  than  themselves,  in  fact,  or  a  mere  frag 
ment  of  the  empire,  even  in  theory;  transferring  the  control 


448  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

of  the  colonial  interest  from  the  sovereign  himself  to  a  portion 
of  his  people,  and  that,  too,  a  small  portion.  This  was  no 
longer  a  government  of  a  prince  who  felt  a  parental  concern 
for  all  his  subjects,  but  a  government  of  a  clique  of  his  subjects, 
who  felt  a  selfish  concern  only  for  their  own  interests." 

"  And  did  the  Americans  urge  this  reason  for  the  rerolt  ?" 
asked  Sir  George.  "  It  sounds  new  to  me." 

"  They  quarrelled  with  the  results,  rather  than  with  the  cause. 
When  they  found  that  legislation  was  to  be  chiefly  in  the  in 
terests  of  England,  they  took  the  alarm,  and  seized  their  arms, 
without  stopping  to  analyze  causes.  They  probably  were  mys 
tified  too  much  with  names  and  professions  to  see  the  real 
truth,  though  they  got  some  noble  glimpses  of  it." 

"  I  have  never  before  heard  this  case  put  so  strongly,"  cried 
Paul  Powis,  "  and  yet  I  think  it  contains  the  whole  merit  of  the 
controversy  as  a  principle." 

"  It  is  extraordinary  how  nationality  blinds  us,"  observed  Sir 
George,  laughing.  "  I  confess,  Powis," — the  late  events  had 
produced  a  close  intimacy  and  a  sincere  regard  between  these 
two  fine  young  men, — "  that  I  stand  in  need  of  an  explanation." 

"  You  can  conceive  of  a  monarch,"  continued  John  Effing- 
ham,  "  who  possesses  an  extensive  and  efficient  power  ?" 

"  Beyond  doubt ;  nothing  can  be  plainer  than  that." 

ci  Fancy  this  monarch  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  fragment  of 
his  subjects,  who  reduce  his  authority  to  a  mere  profession,  and 
begin  to  wield  it  for  their  own  especial  benefit,  no  longer  leav 
ing  him  a  free  agent,  though  always  using  the  authority  in  his 
name." 

"  Even  that  is  easily  imagined." 

"History  is  full  of  such  instances.  A  part  of  the  subjects, 
unwilling  to  be  the  dupes  of  such  a  fraud,  revolt  against  the 
monarch  in  name,  against  the  cabal  in  fact.  Now  who  are  the 
real  rebels  ?  Profession  is  nothing.  Hyder  Ally  never  seated 
himself  in  the  presence  of  the  prince  he  had  deposed,  though 
he  held  him  captive,  during  life." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  449 

"  But  did  not  America  acquiesce  in  the  dethronement  of  the 
Stuarts  ?"  asked  Eve,  in  whom  the  love  of  the  right  was  stronger 
even  than  the  love  of  country. 

"  Beyond  a  doubt,  though  America  neither  foresaw  nor  ac 
quiesced  in  all  the  results.  The  English  themselves,  probably, 
did  not  foresee  the  consequences  of  their  own  revolution ;  for 
we  now  find  England  almost  in  arms  against  the  consequences 
of  the  very  subversion  of  the  kingly  power  of  which  I  have 
spoken.  In  England  it  placed  a  portion  of  the  higher  classes 
in  possession  of  authority,  at  the  expense  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
nation ;  whereas,  as  respects  America,  it  set  a  remote  people  to 
rule  over  her,  instead  of  a  prince  who  had  the  same  connection 
with  his  colonies  as  with  all  the  rest  of  his  subjects.  The  late 
English  reform  is  a  peaceable  revolution ;  and  America  would 
very  gladly  have  done  the  same  thing,  could  she  have  extri 
cated  herself  from  the  consequences,  by  mere  acts  of  congress. 
The  whole  difference  is,  that  America,  pressed  upon  by  peculiar 
circumstances,  preceded  England  in  the  revolt  about  sixty*years, 
and  that  this  revolt  was  against  an  usurper,  and  not  against  the 
legitimate  monarch,  or  against  the  sovereign  himself." 

"  I  confess  all  this  is  novel  to  me,"  exclaimed  Sir  George. 

"  I  have  told  you,  Sir  George  Templemore,  that,  if  you  stay 
long  enough  in  America,  many  novel  ideas  will  suggest  them 
selves.  You  have  too  much  sense  to  travel  through  the  country 
seeking  for  petty  exceptions  that  may  sustain  your  aristocratical 
prejudices,  or  opinions,  if  you  like  that  better ;  but  will  be  dis 
posed  to  judge  a  nation,  not  according  to  preconceived  notions, 
but  according  to  visible  facts." 

"  They  tell  me  there  is  a  strong  bias  to  aristocracy  in  America; 
at  least  such  is  the  report  of  most  European  travellers." 

"  The  report  of  men  who  do  not  reflect  closely  on  the  mean 
ing  of  words.  That  there  are  real  aristocrats  in  opinion  in 
America  is  very  true  ;  there  are  also  a  few  monarchists,  or  those 
who  fancy  themselves  monarchists." 

"  Can  a  man  be  deceived  on  such  a  point  ?" 


450  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"  Nothing  is  more  easy.  He  who  would  set  up  a  king  merely 
in  name,  for  instance,  is  not  a  monarchist,  but  a  visionary,  who 
confounds  names  with  things." 

"I  see  you  will  not  admit  of  a  balance  in  the  state." 

"  I  shall  contend  that  there  must  be  a  preponderating  au 
thority  in  every  government,  from  which  it  derives  its  char 
acter  ;  and  if  this  be  not  the  king,  that  government  is  not  a 
real  monarchy,  let  the  laws  be  administered  in  whose  name  they 
may.  Calling  an  idol  Jupiter  does  not  convert  it  into  a  god.  I 
question  if  there  be  a  real  monarchist  left  in  the  English  empire 
at  this  very  moment.  They  who  make  the  loudest  professions 
that  way  strike  me  as  being  the  rankest  aristocrats,  and  a  real 
political  aristocrat  is,  and  always  has  been,  the  most  efficient 
enemy  of  kings." 

"  But  we  consider  loyalty  to  the  prince  as  attachment  to  the 
system." 

"  That  is  another  matter;  for  in  that  you  may  be  right  enough, 
though  it  is  ambiguous  as  to  terms." 

"  Sir — gentlemen — Mr.  John  Effingham,  sir,"  interrupted 
Saunders,  "  Mr.  Monday  is  awake,  and  so  werry  conwalescent — 
I  fear  he  will  not  live  long.  The  ship  herself  is  not  so  much 
conwerted  by  these  new  spars  as  poor  Mr.  Monday  is  conwerted 
since  he  went  to  sleep." 

"  I  feared  this,"  observed  John  Effingham,  rising.  "  Acquaint 
Captain  Truck  with  the  fact,  steward  :  he  desired  to  be  sent  for 
at  any  crisis." 

He  then  quitted  the  cabin,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  party 
wondering  that  they  could  have  been  already  so  lost  to  the 
situation  of  one  of  their  late  companions,  however  different 
from  themselves  he  might  be  in  opinions  and  character.  But 
in  this  they  merely  showed  their  common  connection  with  all 
the  rest  of  the  great  family  of  man,  who  uniformly  forget  sor 
rows  that  do  not  press  too  hard  on  self,  in  the  reaction  of  their 
feelings. 


HOME  WARD     BOUND.  451 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

"  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?     Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?" 

ISAIAH. 

THE  principal  hurt  of  Mr.  Monday  was  one  of  those  wounds 
that  usually  produce  death  within  eight-and-forty  hours.  He 
had  borne  the  pain  with  resolution;  and,  as  yet,  had  discovered 
no  consciousness  of  the  imminent  danger  that  was  so  apparent 
to  all  around  him.  But  a  film  had  suddenly  past  from  before 
his  senses  ;  and,  a  man  of  mere  habits,  prejudices,  and  animal 
enjoyments,  he  had  awakened  at  the  very  termination  of  his 
brief  existence  to  something  like  a  consciousness  of  his  true 
position  in  the  moral  world,  as  well  as  of  his  real  physical 
condition.  Under  the  first  impulse  of  such  an  alarm,  John 
Effingham  had  been  sent  for ;  and  he,  as  has  been  seen,  or 
dered  Captain  Truck  to  be  summoned.  In  consequence  of  the 
previous  understanding,  these  two  gentlemen  and  Mr.  Leach 
appeared  at  the  stateroom  door  at  the  same  instant.  The 
apartment  being  small,  it  was  arranged  between  them  that  the 
former  should  enter  first,  having  been  expressly  sent  for ;  and 
that  the  others  should  be  introduced  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
wounded  man. 

"  I  have  brought  my  Bible,  Mr.  Leach,"  said  the  captain 
when  he  and  the  mate  were  left  alone,  "  for  a  chapter  is  the 
very  least  we  can  give  a  cabin-passenger,  though  I  am  a  little 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  particular  passage  will  be  the  most 
suitable  for  the  occasion.  Something  from  the  book  of  Kings 


452  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

would  be  likely  to  suit  Mr.  Monday,  as  he  is  a  thorough-going 
king's  man." 

"  It  is  so  long  since  I  read  that  particular  book,  sir,"  returned 
the  mate,  diligently  thumbing  his  watch-key,  "  that  I  should  be 
diffident  about  expressing  an  opinion.  I  think,  however,  a  little 
Bible  might  do  him  good." 

"  It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  hit  a  conscience  exactly  between 
wind  and  water.  I  once  thought  of  producing  an  impression 
on  the  ship's  company  by  reading  the  account  of  Jonah  and 
the  whale  as  a  subject  likely  to  attract  their  attention,  and  to 
show  them  the  hazards  we  seamen  run  ;  but,  in  the  end,  I  dis 
covered  that  the  narration  struck  them  all  aback  as  a  thing  not 
likely  to  be  true.  Jack  can  stand  any  thing  but  a  fish  story, 
you  know,  Leach." 

"  It  is  always  better  to  keep  clear  of  miracles  at  sea,  I  believe, 
sir,  when  the  people  are  to  be  spoken  to :  I  saw  some  of  the 
men  this  evening  wince  about  that  ship  of  St.  Paul's  carrying 
out  anchors  in  a  gale." 

"The  graceless  rascals  ought  to  be  thankful  they  are  not  at 
this  very  moment  trotting  through  the  great  desert  lashed  to 
dromedaries'  tails !  Had  I  known  that,  Leach,  I  would  have 
read  the  verse  twice.  But  Mr.  Monday  is  altogether  a  differ 
ent  man,  and  will  listen  to  reason.  There  is  the  story  of 
Absalom,  which  is  quite  interesting  ;  and  perhaps  the  account 
of  the  battle  might  be  suitable  for  one  who  dies  in  consequence 
of  a  battle  ;  but,  on  the  whole,  I  remember  my  worthy  old 
father  used  to  say  that  a  sinner  ought  to  be  well  shaken  up  at 
such  a  moment." 

"  I  fancy,  sir,  Mr.  Monday  has  been  a  reasonably  steady  man, 
as  the  world  goes.  Seeing  that  he  is  a  passenger,  I  should  try 
and  ease  him  off  handsomely,  and  without  any  of  these  Metho 
dist  surges." 

"  You  may  be  right,  Leach,  you  may  be  right ;  do  as  you 
would  be  done  by,  is  the  golden  rule  after  all.  But,  here  comes 
Mr.  John  Effingham  ;  so  I  fancy  we  may  enter." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  453 

The  captain  was  not  mistaken,  for  Mr.  Monday  had  just  taken 
a  restorative,  and  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  two  offi 
cers.  The  stateroom  was  a  small,  neat,  and  even  beautifully 
finished  apartment,  about  seven  feet  square.  It  had  originally 
been  fitted  with  two  berths  ;  but,  previously  to  taking  posses 
sion  of  the  place,  John  Effingham  had  caused  the  carpenter  to 
remove  the  upper,  and  Mr.  Monday  now  lay  in  what  had  been 
the  lower  bed.  This  situation  placed  him  below  his  attendant, 
and  in  a  position  where  he  might  be  the  more  easily  assisted. 
A  shaded  lamp  lighted  the  room,  by  means  of  which  the  cap 
tain  caught  the  anxious  expression  of  the  dying  man's  eye,  as 
he  took  a  seat  himself. 

"  I  am  grieved  to  see  you  in  this  state,  Mr.  Monday,"  said 
the  master,  "  and  this  all  the  more  since  it  has  happened  in 
consequence  of  your  bravery  in  fighting  to  regain  my  ship. 
By  rights  this  accident  ought  to  have  befallen  one  of  the  Mon- 
tauk's  people,  or  Mr.  Leach,  here,  or  even  myself,  before  it  befell 
you." 

Mr.  Monday  looked  at  the  speaker  as  if  the  intended  conso 
lation  had  failed  of  its  effect,  and  the  captain  began  to  suspect 
that  he  should  find  a  difficult  subject  for  his  new  ministrations. 
By  way  of  gaining  time,  he  thrust  an  elbow  into  the  mate's 
side  as  a  hint  that  it  was  now  his  turn  to  offer  something. 

"  It  might  have  been  worse,  Mr.  Monday,"  observed  Leach, 
shifting  his  attitude  like  a  man  whose  moral  and  physical  action 
moved  pari  passu  :  "  it  might  have  been  much  worse.  I  once 
saw  a  man  shot  in  the  under  jaw,  and  he  lived  a  fortnight  with 
out  any  sort  of  nourishment !" 

Still  Mr.  Monday  gazed  at  the  mate  as  if  he  thought  matters 
could  not  be  much  worse. 

"That  ivas  a  hard  case,"  put  in  the  captain  ;  "why,  the  poor 
fellow  had  no  opportunity  to  recover  without  victuals." 

"  No,  sir,  nor  any  drink.  He  never  swallowed  a  mouthful  of 
liquor  of  any  sort  from  the  time  he  was  hit,  until  ho  took  the 
plunge  when  we  threw  him  overboard." 


454  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Perhaps  there  is  truth  in  the  saying  that  "  misery  loves  com 
pany,"  for  the  eye  of  Mr.  Monday  turned  towards  the  table  on 
which  the  bottle  of  cordial  still  stood,  and  from  which  John 
Effing-ham  had  just  before  helped  him  to  a  swallow,  under  the 
impression  that  it  was  of  no  moment  what  he  took.  The  cap 
tain  understood  the  appeal,  and  influenced  by  the  same  opinion 
concerning  the  hopelessness  of  the  patient's  condition,  besides 
being  kindly  anxious  to  console  him,  he  poured  out  a  small 
glass,  all  of  which  he  permitted  the  other  to  drink.  The  effect 
was  instantaneous,  for  it  would  seem  this  treacherous  friend  is 
ever  ready  to  produce  a  momentary  pleasure  as  a  poor  com 
pensation  for  its  lasting  pains. 

"  I  don't  feel  so  bad,  gentlemen,"  returned  the  wounded 
man,  with  a  force  of  voice  that  startled  his  visitors.  "  I  feel 
better — much  better,  and  am  very  glad  to  see  you.  Captain 
Truck,  I  have  the  honor  to  drink  your  health." 

The  captain  looked  at  the  mate  as  if  he  thought  their  visit 
was  twenty-four  hours  too  soon,  for  live,  all  felt  sure,  Mr.  Mon 
day  could  not.  But  Leach,  better  placed  to  observe  the  coun 
tenance  of  the  patient,  whispered  his  commander  that  it  was 
merely  "  a  catspaw,  and  will  not  stand." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  both,  gentlemen,"  continued 
Mr.  Monday,  "  and  beg  you  to  help  yourselves." 

The  captain  changed  his  tactics.  Finding  his  patient  so 
strong  and  cheerful,  he  thought  consolation  would  be  more 
easily  received  just  at  that  moment,  than  it  might  be  even  half 
an  hour  later. 

"  We  are  all  mortal,  Mr.  Monday — 

"  Yes,  sir ;  all  very  mortal." 

"  And  even  the  strongest  and  boldest  ought  occasionally  to 
think  of  their  end." 

"  Quite  true,  sir  ;  quite  true.  The  strongest  and  boldest. 
When  do  you  think  we  shall  get  in,  gentlemen  ?" 

Captain  Truck  afterwards  affirmed  that  he  was  "  never  before 
taken  so  flat  aback  by  a  question  as  by  this."  Still  he  extri- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  455 

cated  himself  from  the  dilemma  with  dexterity,  the  spirit  of 
proselytism  apparently  arising  within  him  in  proportion  as  the 
other  manifested  indifference  to  his  offices. 

"  There  is  a  port  to  which  we  are  all  steering-,  my  dear  ?/r;" 
he  said ;  "  and  of  which  we  ought  always  to  bear  in  mind  the 
landmarks  and  beacons,  and  that  port  is  Heaven." 

"  Yes,"  added  Mi1.  Leach,  "  a  port  that,  sooner  or  later,  will 
fetch  us  all  up." 

Mr.  Monday  gazed  from  one  to  the  other,  and  something  like 
the  state  of  feeling  from  which  he  had  been  aroused  by  the 
cordial,  began  to  return. 

"  Do  you  think  me  so  bad,  gentlemen  ?"  he  inquired,  with  a 
little  of  the  eagerness  of  a  startled  man. 

"  As  bad  as  one  bound  direct  to  so  good  a  place  as  I  hope 
and  trust  is  the  case  with  you,  can  be,"  returned  the  captain, 
determined  to  follow  up  the  advantage  he  had  gained.  "  Your 
wound,  we  fear,  is  mortal,  and  people  seldom  remain  long  in  this 
wicked  world  with  such  sort  of  hurts." 

"  If  he  stands  that,"  thought  the  captain,  "  I  shall  turn  him 
over,  at  once,  to  Mr.  Effingham." 

Mr.  Monday  did  not  stand  it.  The  illusion  produced  by 
the  liquor,  although  the  latter  still  sustained  his  pulses,  had 
begun  to  evaporate,  and  the  melancholy  truth  resumed  its 
power. 

"  I  believe,  indeed,  that  I  am  near  my  end,  gentlemen,"  he 
said  faintly  ;  "  and  am  thankful — for — for  this  consolation." 

"  Now  will  be  a  good  time  to  throw  in  the  chapter,"  whisper 
ed  Leach  ;  "  he  seems  quite  conscious,  and  very  contrite." 

Captain  Truck,  in  pure  despair,  and  conscious  of  his  own 
want  of  judgment,  had  determined  to  leave  the  question  of  the 
selection  of  this  chapter  to  be  decided  by  chance.  Perhaps  a 
little  of  that  mysterious  dependence  on  Providence,  which 
renders  all  men  more  or  less  superstitious,  influenced  him ;  and 
that  he  hoped  a  wisdom  surpassing  his  own  might  direct  him 
to  a  choice.  Fortunately,  the  Book  of  Psalms  is  near  the 


456  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

middle  of  the  sacred  volume,  and  a  better  disposition  of  this 
sublime  repository  of  pious  praise  and  spiritual  wisdom  could 
not  have  been  made ;  for  the  chance-directed  peruser  of  the 
Bible  will  perhaps  oftener  open  among  its  pages  than  at  any 
other  place. 

If  we  should  say  that  Mr.  Monday  felt  any  very  profound 
spiritual  relief  from  the  reading  of  Captain  Truck,  we  should 
both  overrate  the  manner  of  the  honest  sailor,  and  the  intelli 
gence  of  the  dying  man.  Still  the  solemn  language  of  praise 
and  admonition  had  an  effect,  and,  for  the  first  time  since  child 
hood,  the  soul  of  the  latter  was  moved.  God  and  judgment 
passed  before  his  imagination,  and  he  gasped  for  breath  in  a 
way  that  induced  the  two  seamen  to  suppose  the  fatal  moment 
had  come,  even  sooner  than  they  expected.  The  cold  sweat 
stood  upon  the  forehead  of  the  patient,  and  his  eyes  glared 
wildly  from  one  to  the  other.  The  paroxysm,  however,  was 
transient,  and  he  soon  settled  down  into  a  state  of  comparative 
calmness,  pushing  away  the  glass  that  Captain  Truck  offered, 
in  mistaken  kindness,  with  a  manner  of  loathing. 

"  We  must  comfort  him,  Leach,"  whispered  the  captain ; 
"  for  I  see  he  is  fetching  up  in  the  old  way,  as  was  duly  laid 
down  by  our  ancestors  in  the  platform.  First,  groanings  and 
views  of  the  devil,  and  then  consolation  and  hope.  We  have 
got  him  into  the  first  category,  and  we  ought  now,  in  justice,  to 
bring-to,  and  heave  a  strain  to  help  him  through  it." 

"  They  generally  give  'em  prayer,  in  the  river,  in  this  stage 
of  the  attack,"  said  Leach.  "  If  you  can  remember  a  short 
prayer,  sir,  it  might  ease  him  off." 

Captain  Truck  and  his  mate,  notwithstanding  the  quaintness 
of  their  thoughts  and  language,  were  themselves  solemnly  im 
pressed  with  the  scene,  and  actuated  by  the  kindest  motives. 
Nothing  of  levity  mingled  with  their  notions,  but  they  felt  the 
responsibility  of  officers  of  a  packet,  besides  entertaining  a 
generous  interest  in  the  fate  of  a  stranger  who  had  fallen,  fight 
ing  manfully  at  their  side.  The  old  man  looked  awkwardly 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D .  45  7 

about  him,  turned  the  key  of  -the  door,  wiped  his  eyes,  gazed 
wistfully  at  the  patient,  gave  his  mate  a  nudge  with  his  elbow 
to  follow  his  example,  and  knelt  down  with  a  heart  momentarily 
as  devout  as  is  often  the  case  with  those  who  minister  at  the 
altar.  He  retained  the  words  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  these 
he  repeated  aloud,  distinctly,  and  with  fervor,  though  not  with 
a  literal  conformity  to  the  text.  Once  Mr.  Leach  had  to  help 
him  to  the  word.  When  he  rose,  the  perspiration  stood  on  his 
forehead,  as  if  he  had  been  engaged  in  severe  toil. 

Perhaps  nothing  could  have  occurred  more  likely  to  strike 
the  imagination  of  Mr.  Monday,  than  to  see  one,  of  the  known 
character  and  habits  of  Captain  Truck,  thus  wrestling  with  the 
Lord  in  his  own  behalf.  Always  obtuse  and  dull  of  thought, 
the  first  impression  was  that  of  wonder ;  awe  and  contrition 
followed.  Even  the  mate  was  touched,  and  he  afterwards  told 
his  companion  on  deck,  that  "  the  hardest  day's  work  he  had 
ever  done,  was  lending  a  hand  to  rouse  the  captain  through  that 
prayer." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  gasped  Mr.  Monday,  "  I  thank  you — Mr. 
John  Effingham — now,  let  me  see  Mr.  John  Effingham.  I  have 
no  time  to  lose,  and  wish  to  see  him" 

The  captain  rose  to  comply,  with  the  feelings  of  a  man  who 
had  done  his  duty,  and,  from  that  moment,  he  had  a  secret 
satisfaction  at  having  so  manfully  acquitted  himself.  Indeed, 
it  has  been  remarked  by  those  who  have  listened  to  his  whole 
narrative  of  the  passage,  that  he  invariably  lays  more  stress  on 
the  scene  in  the  stateroom,  than  on  the  readiness  and  skill  with 
which  he  repaired  the  damages  sustained  by  his  own  ship, 
through  the  means  obtained  from  the  Dane,  or  the  spirit  with 
which  he  retook  her  from  the  Arabs. 

John  Effingham  appeared  in  the  stateroom,  where  the  cap 
tain  and  Mr.  Leach  left  him  alone  with  the  patient.  Like  all 
strong-minded  men,  who  are  conscious  of  their  superiority  over 
the  rest  of  their  fellow  creatures,  this  gentleman  felt  disposed 
to  concede  most  to  those  who  were  the  least  able  to  contend 

30 


458  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

with  him.  Habitually  sarcastic  and  stern,  and  sometimes  for 
bidding,  he  was  now  mild  and  discreet.  He  saw,  at  a  glance, 
that  Mr.  Monday's  mind  was  alive  to  novel  feelings ;  and  aware 
that  the  approach  of  death  frequently  removes  moral  clouds 
that  have  concealed  the  powers  of  the  spirit  while  the  animal 
part  of  the  being  was  in  full  vigor,  he  was  surprised  at  observ 
ing  the  sudden  change  that  was  so  apparent  in  the  countenance 
of  the  dying  man. 

"  I  believe,  sir,  I  have  been  a  great  sinner,"  commenced  Mr. 
Monday,  who  spoke  more  feebly  as  the  influence  of  the  cordial 
evaporated,  and  in  short  and  broken  sentences. 

"  In  that  you  share  the  lot  of  all,"  returned  John  Effingham. 
"We  are  taught  that  no  man  of  himself,  no  unaided  soul,  is 
competent  to  its  own  salvation.  Christians  look  to  the  Re 
deemer  for  succor." 

"  I  believe  I  understand  you,  but  I  am  a  business  man,  sir, 
and  have  been  taught  that  reparation  is  the  best  atonement  for 
a  wrong." 

"  It  certainly  should  be  the  first." 

"  Yes,  indeed  it  should,  sir.  I  am  but  the  son  of  poor  parents, 
and  may  have  been  tempted  to  some  things  that  are  improper. 
My  mother,  too,  I  was  her  only  support.  Well,  the  Lord  will 
pardon  it,  if  it  were  wrong,  as  I  dare  say  it  might  have  been. 
I  think  I  should  have  drunk  less  and  thought  more,  but  for  this 
affair — perhaps  it  is  not  yet  too  late." 

John  Effingham  listened  with  surprise,  but  with  the  coolness 
and  sagacity  that  marked  his  character.  He  saw  the  necessity, 
or  at  least  the  prudence,  of  there  being  another  witness  present. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  exhaustion  of  the  speaker,  he  stepped 
to  the  door  of  Eve's  cabin,  and  signed  Paul  to  follow  him. 
They  entered  the  stateroom  together,  when  John  Effingham 
took  Mr.  Monday  soothingly  by  the  hand,  offering  him  a  nour 
ishment  less  exciting  than  the  cordial,  but  which  had  the  effect 
to  revive  him. 

"I  understand  you,  sir,"  continued  Mr.  Monday,  looking  at 


II  O  M  E  W  A  R  D      BOUND.  459 

Paul ;  "  it  is  all  very  proper ;.  but  I  have  little  to  say — the 
papers  will  explain  it  all.  Those  keys,  sir — the  upper  drawer 
of  the  bureau,  and  the  red  morocco  case — take  it  all — this  is 
the  key.  I  have  kept  every  thing  together,  from  a  misgiving 
that  an  hour  would  come.  In  New  York  you  will  have  time 
— it  is  not  yet  too  late." 

As  the  wounded  man  spoke  at  intervals,  and  with  difficulty, 
John  Effingham  had  complied  with  his  directions  before  he 
ceased.  He  found  the  red  morocco  case,  took  the  key  from 
the  ring,  and  showed  both  to  Mr.  Monday,  who  smiled  and 
nodded  approbation.  The  bureau  contained  paper,  wax,  and 
all  the  other  appliances  of  writing.  John  Effingham  inclosed 
the  case  in  a  strong  envelope,  and  affixed  to  it  three  seals, 
which  he  impressed  with  his  own  arms ;  he  then  asked  Paul 
for  his  watch,  that  the  same  might  be  done  with  the  seal  of  his 
companion.  After  this  precaution,  he  wrote  a  brief  declaration 
that  the  contents  had  been  delivered  to  the  two,  for  the  purpose 
of  examination,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  parties  concerned, 
whoever  they  might  be,  and  signed  it.  Paul  did  the  same,  and 
the  paper  was  handed  to  Mr.  Monday,  who  had  still  strength 
to  add  his  own  signature. 

"  Men  do  not  usually  trifle  at  such  moments,"  said  John 
Effingham,  "  and  this  case  may  contain  matter  of  moment  to 
wronged  and  innocent  persons.  The  world  little  knows  the  ex 
tent  of  the  enormities  that  are  thus  committed.  Take  the  case, 
Mr.  Powis,  and  lock  it  up  with  your  effects,  until  the  moment 
for  the  examination  shall  come." 

Mr.  Monday  was  certainly  much  relieved  after  this  consign 
ment  of  the  case  into  safe  hands,  trifles  satisfying  the  compunc 
tions  of  the  obtuse.  For  more  than  an  hour  he  slumbered.  Dur 
ing  this  interval  of  rest,  Captain  Truck  appeared  at  the  door  of 
the  stateroom  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the  patient,  and, 
hearing  a  report  so  favorable,  in  common  with  all  whose  duty 
did  not  require  them  to  watch,  he  retired  to  rest.  Paul  had 
also  returned,  and  offered  his  services,  as  indeed  did  most  of  the 


4GO  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

gentlemen  ;  but  John  Effingham  dismissed  his  own  servant 
even,  and  declared  it  was  his  intention  not  to  quit  the  place 
that  night.  Mr.  Monday  had  reposed  confidence  in  him,  ap 
peared  to  be  gratified  by  his  attentions  and  presence,  and  he 
felt  it  to  be  a  sort  of  duty,  under  such  circumstances,  not  to 
desert  a  fellow-creature  in  his  extremity.  Any  thing  beyond 
some  slight  alleviation  of  the  sufferer's  pains  was  hopeless ;  but 
this,  he  rightly  believed,  he  was  as  capable  of  administering  as 
another. 

Death  is  appalling  to  those  of  the  most  iron  nerves,  when  it 
comes  quietly  and  in  the  stillness  and  solitude  of  night.  John 
Effing-ham  was  such  a  man ;  but  he  felt  all  the  peculiarity  of 
his  situation  as  he  sat  alone  in  the  stateroom  by  the  side  of  Mr. 
Monday,  listening  to  the  washing  of  the  waters  that  the  ship 
shoved  aside,  and  to  the  unquiet  breathing  of  his  patient.  Seve 
ral  times  he  felt  a  disposition  to  steal  away  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  to  refresh  himself  by  exercise  in  the  pure  air  of  the  ocean ; 
but  as  often  was  the  inclination  checked  by  jealous  glances 
from  the  glazed  eye  of  the  dying  man,  who  appeared  to  cherish 
his  presence  as  his  own  last  hope  of  life.  When  John  Effing- 
ham  wetted  his  feverish  lips,  the  look  he  received  spoke  of 
gratitude  and  thanks,  and  once  or  twice  these  feelings  were 
audible  in  whispers.  He  could  not  desert  a  being  so  helpless, 
so  dependent ;  and,  although  conscious  that  he  was  of  no  ma 
terial  service  beyond  sustaining  his  patient  by  his  presence,  he 
felt  that  this  was  sufficient  to  exact  much  heavier  sacrifices. 

During  one  of  the  troubled  slumbers  of  the  dying  man,  his 
attendant  sat  watching  the  struggles  of  his  countenance,  which 
seemed  to  betray  the  workings  of  the  soul  that  was  about  to 
quit  its  tenement,  and  he  mused  on  the  character  and  fate  of 
the  being  whose  departure  for  the  world  of  spirits  he  himself 
was  so  singularly  called  on  to  witness. 

u  Of  his  origin  I  know  nothing,"  thought  John  Effingham, 
"  except  by  his  own  passing  declarations,  and  the  evident  fact, 
that,  as  regards  station,  it  can  scarcely  have  reached  mediocri- 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  461 

ty.  He  is  one  of  those  who  appear  to  live  for  the  most  vulgar 
motives  that  are  admissible  among  men  of  any  culture,  and 
whose  refinement,  such  as  it  is,  is  purely  of  the  conventional 
class  of  habits.  Ignorant,  beyond  the  current  opinions  of  a 
set;  prejudiced  in  all  that  relates  to  nations,  religions,  and 
characters;  wily,  with  an  air  of  blustering  honesty ;  credulous 
and  intolerant;  bold  in  denunciations  and  critical  remarks, 
without  a  spark  of  discrimination,  or  any  knowledge  but  that 
which  has  been  acquired  under  a  designing  dictation ;  as  in 
capable  of  generalizing  as  he  is  obstinate  in  trifles ;  good- 
humored  by  nature,  and  yet  querulous  from  imitation  : — for 
what  purposes  was  such  a  creature  brought  into  existence  to 
be  hurried  out  of  it  in  this  eventful  manner  ?"  The  conversa 
tion  of  the  evening  recurred  to  John  Effingham,  and  he  in 
wardly  said,  "If  there  exists  such  varieties  of  the  human  race 
among  nations,  there  are  certainly  as  many  species,  in  a  moral 
sense,  in  civilized  life  itself.  This  man  has  his  counterpart  in 
a  particular  feature  in  the  every-day  American  absorbed  in  the 
pursuit  of  gain ;  and  yet  how  widely  different  are  the  two  in 
the  minor  points  of  character  !  While  the  other  allows  him 
self  no  rest,  no  relaxation,  no  mitigation  of  the  eternal  gnawing 
of  the  vulture  rapacity,  this  man  has  made  self-indulgence  the 
constant  companion  of  his  toil  ;  while  the  other  has  centered 
all  his  pleasures  in  gain,  this  Englishman,  with  the  same  object 
in  view,  but  obedient  to  national  usages,  has  fancied  he  has 
been  alleviating  his  labors  by  sensual  enjoyments.  In  what 
will  their  ends  differ?  From  the  eyes  of  the  American  the 
veil  will  be  torn  aside  when  it  is  too  late,  perhaps,  and  the  ob 
ject  of  his  earthly  pursuit  will  be  made  the  instrument  of  his 
punishment,  as  he  sees  himself  compelled  to  quit  it  all  for  the 
dark  uncertainty  of  the  grave  ;  while  the  blusterer  and  the 
bottle-companion  sinks  into  a  forced  and  appalled  repentance, 
as  the  animal  that  has  hitherto  upheld  him  loses  its  ascend 
ency." 

A  groan  from  Mr.  Monday,  who  now  opened  his  glassy  eyes, 


402  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

interrupted  these  musings.  The  patient  signed  for  the  nourish 
ment,  and  he  revived  a  little. 

"  What  is  the  day  of  the  week  ?"  he  asked,  with  an  anxiety 
that  surprised  his  kind  attendant. 

"  It  is,  or  rather  it  was,  Monday  *,  for  we  are  now  past  mid 
night." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it,  sir — very  glad  of  it." 

"  Why  should  the  day  of  the  week  be  of  consequence  to  you 
now  ?" 

"  There  is  a  saying,  sir — I  have  faith  in  sayings — they  told 
me  I  was  born  of  a  Monday,  and  should  die  of  a  Monday." 

The  other  was  shocked  at  this  evidence  of  a  lingering  and 
abject  superstition  in  one  who  could  not  probably  survive  many 
hours,  and  he  spoke  to  him  of  the  Saviour,  and  of  his  mediation 
for  man.  All  this  could  John  Effingham  do  at  need ;  and  he 

O 

could  do  it  well,  too,  for  few  had  clearer  perceptions  of  this 
state  of  probation  than  himself.  His  weak  point  was  in  the 
pride  and  strength  of  his  character ;  qualities  that  indisposed 
him  in  his  own  practice  to  rely  on  any  but  himself,  under  the 
very  circumstances  which  would  impress  on  others  the  neces 
sity  of  relying  solely  on  God.  The  dying  man  heard  him  at 
tentively,  and  the  words  made  a  momentary  impression. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  die,  sir,"  Mr.  Monday  said  suddenly,  after 
a  long  pause. 

"  It  is  the  general  fate ;  when  the  moment  arrives,  we  ought 
to  prepare  ourselves  to  meet  it." 

"  I  am  no  coward,  Mr.  Effingham." 

"  In  one  sense  I  know  you  are  not,  for  I  have  seen  you 
proved.  I  hope  you  will  not  be  one  in  any  sense.  You  are 
now  in  a  situation  in  which  manhood  will  avail  you  nothing  : 
your  dependence  should  be  placed  altogether  on  God." 

"  I  know  it,  sir — I  try  to  feel  thus ;  but  I  do  not  wish  to 
die." 

"The  love  of  Christ  is  illimitable,"  said  John  Effingham, 
powerfully  affected  by  the  other's  hopeless  misery. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  463 

"  I  know  it — I  liope  it — I  wish  to  believe  it.  Have  you  a 
mother,  Mr.  Effingham  ?" 

"  She  has  been  dead  many  years." 

"A  wife?1' 

John  Effingham  gasped  for  breath,  and  one  might  have  mis 
taken  him,  at  the  moment,  for  the  sufferer. 

"  None :  I  am  without  parent,  brother,  sister,  wife,  or  child. 
My  nearest  relatives  are  in  this  ship." 

"  I  am  of  little  value  ;  but,  such  as  I  am,  my  mother  will  miss 
me.  We  can  have  but  one  mother,  sir." 

"  This  is  very  true.  If  you  have  any  commission  or  message 
for  your  mother,  Mr.  Monday,  I  shall  have  great  satisfaction  in 
attending  to  your  wishes." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir ;  I  know  of  none.  She  has  her  notions  on 
religion,  and — I  think  it  would  lessen  her  sorrow  to  hear  that 
I  had  a  Christian  burial." 

"  Set  your  heart  at  rest  on  that  subject :  all  that  our  situa 
tion  will  allow,  shall  be  done." 

"Of  what  account  will  it  all  be,  Mr.  Effingham?  I  wish  I 
had  drunk  less,  and  thought  more." 

John  Effingham  could  say  nothing  to  a  compunction  that 
was  so  necessary,  though  so  tardy. 

"  I  fear  we  think  too  little  of  this  moment  in  our  health  and 
strength,  sir." 

"The  greater  the  necessity,  Mr.  Monday,  of  turning  our 
thoughts  towards  that  divine  mediation  which  alone  can  avail 
us,  while  there  is  yet  opportunity." 

But  Mr.  Monday  was  startled  by  the  near  approach  of  death, 
rather  than  repentant.  He  had  indurated  his  feelings  by  the 
long  and  continued  practice  of  a  deadening  self-indulgence, 
and  he  was  now  like  a  man  who  unexpectedly  finds  himself  in 
the  presence  of  an  imminent  and  overwhelming  danger,  without 
any  visible  means  of  mitigation  or  escape.  He  groaned  and 
looked  around  him,  as  if  he  sought  something  to  cling  to,  the 
spirit  he  had  shown  in  the  pride  of  his  strength  availing  noth- 


464  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

ing.  All  these,  however,  were  but  passing  emotions,  and  the 
natural  obtusky  of  the  man  returned. 

"  I  do  not  think,  sir,"  he  said,  gazing  intently  at  John  Effing- 
Lam,  "  that  I  have  been  a  very  great  sinner." 

"  I  hope  not,  my  good  friend ;  yet  none  of  us  are  so  free 
from  spot  as  not  to  require  the  aid  of  God  to  fit  us  for  his 
holy  presence." 

"  Very  true,  sir — very  true,  sir.  I  was  duly  baptized  and 
properly  confirmed." 

"Offices  which  are  but  pledges  that  we  are  expected  to  redeem." 

"By  a  regular  priest  and  bishop,  sir; — orthodox  and  digni 
fied  clergymen !" 

"  No  doubt :  England  wants  none  of  the  forms  of  religion. 
But  the  contrite  heart,  Mr.  Monday,  will  be  sure  to  meet  with 
mercy." 

"  I  feel  contrite,  sir ;  very  contrite." 

A  pause  of  half  an  hour  succeeded,  and  John  Effingham 
thought  at  first  that  his  patient  had  again  slumbered;  but, 
looking  more  closely  at  his  situation,  he  perceived  that  his 
eyes  often  opened  and  wandered  over  objects  near  him.  Un 
willing  to  disturb  this  apparent  tranquillity,  the  minutes  were 
permitted  to  pass  away  uninterrupted,  until  Mr.  Monday  spoke 
again  of  his  own  accord. 

"  Mr.  Effingham — sir — Mr.  Effingham,"  said  the  dying  man. 

"  I  am  near  you,  Mr.  Monday,  and  will  not  leave  the  room." 

"  Bless  you,  bless  you,  do  not  you  desert  me !" 

"  I  shall  remain :  set  your  heart  at  rest,  and  let  me  know 
your  wants." 

"  I  want  life,  sir." 

"  That  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  its  possession  depends  solely  on 
his  pleasure.  Ask  pardon  for  your  sins,  and  remember  the 
mercy  and  love  of  the  blessed  Redeem er." 

"I  try,  sir.     I  do  not  think  I  have  been  a  very  great  sinner." 

"  I  hope  not :  but  God  can  pardon  the  penitent,  however 
great  their  offences." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  465 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  know  it — I  know  it.  This  affair  has  been  so 
unexpected.  I  have  even  been  at  the  communion-table,  sir  ; 
yes,  my  mother  made  me  commune.  Nothing  was  neglected, 
sir." 

John  Effing-ham  was  often  proud  and  self-willed  in  his  com 
munications  with  men,  the  inferiority  of  most  of  his  fellow- 
oreaturcs  to  himself,  in  principles  as  well  as  mind,  being  too 
plainly  apparent  not  to  influence  the  opinions  of  one  who  did 
not  too  closely  study  his  own  failings ;  but,  as  respects  God,  he 
was  habitually  reverent  and  meek.  Spiritual  pride  formed  no 
part  of  his  character,  for  he  felt  his  own  deficiency  in  the 
Christian  qualities,  the  main  defect  arising  more  from  a  habit 
of  regarding  the  infirmities  of  others  than  from  dwelling  too 
much  on  his  own  merits.  In  comparing  himself  with  perfec 
tion,  ro  one  could  be  more  humble;  but  in  limiting  the  com 
parison  to  those  around  him,  few  were  prouder,  or  few  more 
justly  so,  were  it  permitted  to  make  such  a  comparison  at  all. 
Prayer  with  him  was  not  habitual,  or  always  well  ordered,  but 
he  was  not  ashamed  to  pray ;  and  when  he  did  bow  down  his 
spirit  in  this  manner,  it  was  with  the  force,  comprehensiveness, 
and  energy  of  his  character.  He  was  now  moved  by  the  feeble 
and  common-place  consolations  that  Mr.  Monday  endeavored  to 
extract  from  his  situation.  He  saw  the  peculiarly  deluding  and 
cruel  substitution  of  forms  for  the  substance  of  piety  that  dis 
tinguishes  the  policy  of  all  established  churches,  though,  un 
like  many  of  his  own  countrymen,  his  mind  was  superior  to 
those  narrow  exaggerations  that,  on  the  other  hand,  too  often 
convert  innocence  into  sin,  and  puff  up  the  votary  with  the  con 
ceit  of  a  sectarian  and  his  self-righteousness. 

"I  will  pray  with  you,  Mr.  Monday/'  he  said,  kneeling  at  the 
side  of  the  dying  man's  bed  :  "  we  will  ask  mercy  of  God  to 
gether,  and  he  may  lessen  these  doubts." 

Mr.  Monday  made  a  sign  of  eager  assent,  and  John  Effing- 
ham  prayed  in  a  voice  that  was  distinctly  audible  to  the  other. 
The  petition  was  short,  beautiful,  and  even  lofty  in  language, 

20* 


466  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

without  a  particle  of  Scripture  jargon,  or  of  the  cant  of  pro 
fessed  devotees;  but  it  was  a  fervent,  direct,  comprehensive, 
and  humble  appeal  to  the  Deity  for  mercy  on  the  being  who 
now  found  himself  in  extremity.  A  child  might  have  under 
stood  it,  while  the  heart  of  a  man  would  have  melted  with  its 
affecting  and  meek  sincerity.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Great 
Being,  whose  Spirit  pervades  the  universe,  and  whose  clemency 
is  commensurate  with  his  power,  also  admitted  the  force  of  the 
petition,  for  Mr.  Monday  smiled  with  pleasure  when  John 
Effingham  arose. 

"  Thank  you,  sir — a  thousand  thanks,"  muttered  the  dying 
man,  pressing  the  hand  of  the  other.  "  This  is  better  than  all." 

After  this  Mr.  Monday  was  easier,  and  hours  passed  away  in 
nearly  a  continued  silence.  John  Effingham  was  now  convinced 
that  his  patient  slumbered,  and  he  allowed  himself  to  fall  into  a 
doze.  It  was  after  the  morning  watch  was  called,  that  he  was 
aroused  by  a  movement  in  the  berth.  Believing  his  patient  re 
quired  nourishment,  or  some  fluid  to  moisten  his  lips,  John 
Effingham  offered  both,  but  they  were  declined.  Mr.  Monday 
had  clasped  his  hands  on  his  breast,  with  the  fingers  upper 
most,  as  painters  and  sculptors  are  apt  to  delineate  them  when 
they  represent  saints  in  the  act  of  addressing  the  Deity,  and  his 
lips  moved,  though  the  words  were  whispered.  John  Effing 
ham  kneeled,  and  placed  his  ear  so  close  as  to  catch  the  sounds. 
His  patient  was  uttering  the  simple  but  beautiful  petition  trans 
mitted  by  Christ  himself  to  man,  as  the  model  of  all  prayer. 

As  soon  as  the  other  had  done,  John  Effingham  repeated 
the  same  prayer  fervently  and  aloud  himself,  and  when  he 
opened  his  eyes,  after  this  solemn  homage  to  God,  Mr.  Monday 
was  dead. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  467 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

"  Let  ine  alone :— dost  thou  use  to  write 
Thy  name  ?  or  hast  thou  ft  mark  to  thyself,  like  an 
Honest,  plain-dealing  man  ?" 

JACK  CADE. 

AT  a  later  hour,  the  body  of  the  deceased  was  consigned  to 
the  ocean  with  the  forms  that  had  been  observed  the  previous 
night  at  the  burial  of  the  seaman.  These  two  ceremonies  were 
sad  remembrancers  of  the  scene  the  travellers  had  passed 
through  ;  and,  for  many  days,  the  melancholy  that  they  natu 
rally  excited  pervaded  the  ship.  But,  as  no  one  connected  by 
blood  with  any  of  the  living  had  fallen,  and  it  is  not  the  dispo 
sition  of  men  to  mourn  always,  this  feeling  gradually  subsided, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  the  deaths  had  lost  most  of  their 
influence,  or  were  recalled  only  at  moments  by  those  who 
thought  it  wise  to  dwell  on  such  solemn  subjects. 

Captain  Truck  had  regained  his  spirits ;  for,  if  he  felt  morti 
fied  at  the  extraordinary  difficulties  and  dangers  that  had  be 
fallen  his  ship,  he  also  felt  proud  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  extricated  himself  from  them.  As  for  the  mates  and  crew, 
they  had  already  returned  to  their  ordinary  habits  of  toil  and 
fun,  the  accidents  of  life  making  but  brief  and  superficial  im 
pressions  on  natures  accustomed  to  vicissitudes  and  losses. 

Mr.  Dodge  appeared  to  be  nearly  forgotten  during  the  first 
week  after  the  ship  succeeded  in  effecting  her  escape ;  for  he 
had  the  sagacity  to  keep  himself  in  the  background,  in  the 
hope  that  all  connected  with  himself  might  be  overlooked  in 
the  hurry  and  excitement  of  events.  At  the  end  of  that  period, 


408  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

however,  lie  resumed  his  intrigues,  and  was  soon  actively  en 
gaged  in  endeavoring  to  get  up  a  "  public  opinion,"  by  means 
of  which  he  proposed  to  himself  to  obtain  some  reputation  for 
spirit  and  courage.  With  what  success  this  deeply-laid  scheme 
was  likely  to  meet,  as  well  as  the  more  familiar  condition  of 
the  cabins,  may  be  gathered  by  a  conversation  that  took  place 
in  the  pantry,  where  Saunders  and  Toast  were  preparing  the 
hot  punch  for  the  last  of  the  Saturday  nights  that  Captain 
Truck  expected  to  be  at  sea.  This  discourse  was  held  while 
the  few  who  chose  to  join  in  jollification  that  peculiarly  recall 
ed  the  recollection  of  Mr.  Monday,  were  slowly  assembling- 
round  the  great  table  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  master. 

"  Well,  I  must  say,  Mr.  Toast,1'  the  steward  commenced,  as 
he  kept  stirring  the  punch,  "that  I  am  werry  much  rejoiced 
Captain  Truck  has  resuscertated  his  old  nature,  and  remembers 
the  festivals  and  fasts,  as  is  becoming  the  master  of  a  liner.  I 
can  see  no  good  reason  because  a  ship  is  under  jury-masts,  that 
the  passengers  should  forego  their  natural  rest  and  diet.  Mr. 
Monday  made  a  good  end,  they  say,  and  he  had  as  handsome  a 
burial  as  I  ever  laid  eyes  on  at  sea.  I  don't  think  his  own 
friends  could  have  interred  him  more  efficaciously,  or  more 
piously,  had  he  been  on  shore." 

"  It  is  something,  Mr.  Saunders,  to  be  able  to  reflect  before 
hand  on  the  respectable  funeral  that  your  friends  have  just 
given  you.  There  is  a  great  gratification  to  contemplate  on 
such  an  event." 

"  You  improve  in  language,  Toast,  that  I  will  allow  ;  but  you 
sometimes  get  the  words  a  little  wrong.  We  suspect  before  a 
thing  recurs,  and  reflect  on  it  after  it  has  ewentuatecl.  You 
might  have  suspected  the  death  of  poor  Mr.  Monday  after  he 
was  wounded,  and  reflected  on  it  after  he  was  interred  in  the 
water.  I  agree  with  you  that  it  is  consoling  to  know  we  have 
our  funeral  rights  properly  delineated.  Talking  of  the  battle, 
Mr.  Toast,  I  shall  take  this  occasion  to  express  to  you  the  high 
opinion  I  entertain  of  your  own  good  conduct.  I  was  a  little 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  469 

afraid  you  might  injure  Captain  Truck  in  the  conflict ;  but,  so 
far  as  I  have  ascertained,  on  close  inwestigation,  you  hurt  no 
body.  We  colored  people  have  some  prejudices  against  us, 
and  I  always  rejoice  when  I  meet  with  one  who  assists  to  put 
them  down  by  his  own  conduck." 

"  They  say  Mr.  Dodge  didn't  do  much  harm,  either,"  return 
ed  Toast.  "  For  my  part,  I  saw  nothing  of  him  after  I  opened 
my  eyes ;  though  I  don't  think  I  ever  stared  about  me  so  much 
in  my  life." 

Saunders  laid  a  finger  on  his  nose,  and  shook  his  head  sig 
nificantly. 

"  You  may  speak  to  me  with  confidence  and  mistrust,  Toast," 
he  said,  "  for  we  are  friends  of  the  same  color,  besides  being 
officers  in  the  same  pantry.  Has  Mr.  Dodge  conwersed  with 
you  concerning  the  ewents  of  those  two  or  three  werry  ewent- 
ful  days  ?" 

"He  has  insinevated  considerable,  Mr.  Saunders;  though  I 
do  not  think  Mr.  Dodge  is  ever  a  werry  free  talker." 

"Has  he  surgested  the  propriety  of  having  an  account  of 
the  whole  affair  made  out  by  the  people,  and  sustained  by  affi 
davits  ?" 

"  Well,  sir,  I  imagine  he  has.  At  all  ewents,  he  has  been 
much  on  the  forecastle  lately,  endeavoring  to  persuade  the 
people  that  they  retook  the  ship,  and  that  the  passengers  were 
so  many  encumbrancers  in  the  affair." 

"  And,  are  the  people  such  non  compasses  as  to  believe  him, 
Toast?" 

"  Why,  sir,  it  is  agreeable  to  humanity  to  think  well  of  our 
selves.  I  do  not  say  that  anybody  actually  believes  this  ;  but, 
in  my  poor  judgment,  Mr.  Saunders,  there  are  men  in  the  ship 
that  would  find  \i  pleasant  to  believe  it,  if  they  could." 

"  Werry  true  ;  for  that  is  natural.  Your  hint,  Toast,  has  en 
lightened  my  mind  on  a  little  obscurity  that  has  lately  prewail- 
ed  over  my  conceptions.  There  are  Johnson,  and  Briggs,  and 
Hewson,  three  of  the  greatest  skulks  in  the  ship,  the  only  men 


470  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

who  prewaricated  in  the  least,  so  much  as  by  a  cold  look,  in  the 
fight ;  and  these  three  men  have  told  me  that  Mr.  Dodge  was 
the  person  who  had  the  gun  put  on  the  box ;  and  that  he  druv 
the  Arabs  upon  the  raft.  Now,  I  say,  no  men  with  their  eyes 
open  could  have  made  such  a  mistake,  except  they  made  it  on 
purpose.  Do  you  corroborate  or  contrawerse  this  statement, 
Toast  f 

"  I  contrawerse  it,  sir  ;  for  in  my  poor  judgment  it  was  Mr. 
Blunt." 

"I  am  glad  we  are  of  the  same  opinion.  I  shall  say  nothing 
till  the  proper  moment  arrives,  and  then  I  shall  exhibit  my  sen 
timents,  Mr.  Toast,  without  recrimination  or  anxiety,  for  truth 
is  truth." 

"  I  am  happy  to  observe  that  the  ladies  are  quite  relaxed 
from  their  melancholy,  and  that  they  now  seem  to  enjoy  them 
selves  ostensibly." 

Saunders  threw  a  look  of  envy  at  his  subordinate,  whose 
progress  in  refinement  really  alarmed  his  own  sense  of  supe 
riority  ;  but,  suppressing  the  jealous  feeling,  he  replied  with 
dignity — 

"  The  remark  is  quite  just,  Mr.  Toast,  and  denotes  penetra 
tion.  I  am  always  rejoiced  when  I  perceive  you  elewating  your 
thoughts  to  superior  objects,  for  the  honor  of  the  color." 

"  Mister  Saunders !"  called  out  the  captain  from  his  seat  in 
the  armchair,  at  the  head  of  the  table. 

"  Captain  Truck,  sir." 

"  Let  us  taste  your  liquors." 

This  was  the  signal  that  the  Saturday-night  was  about  to 
commence,  and  the  officers  of  the  pantry  presented  their  com 
pounds  in  good  earnest.  On  this  occasion  the  ladies  had  quiet 
ly,  but  firmly  declined  being  present,  but  the  earnest  appeals  of 
the  well-meaning  captain  had  overcome  the  scruples  of  the  gen 
tlemen,  all  of  whom,  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  disrespect  to 
his  wishes,  had  consented  to  appear. 

"This  is  the  last  Saturday  night,  gentlemen,  that  I  shall 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  47] 

probably  ever  have  the  honor  of  passing  in  your  good  com 
pany,"  said  Captain  Truck,  as  he  disposed  of  the  pitchers  and 
glasses  before  him,  so  that  he  had  a  perfect  command  of  the 
appliances  of  the  occasion,  "  and  I  feel  it  to  be  a  gratification 
with  which  I  would  not  willingly  dispense.  We  are  now  to 
the  westward  of  the  Gulf,  and,  according  to  my  observations 
and  calculations,  within  a  hundred  miles  of  Sandy  Hook, 
which,  with  this  mild  southwest  wind,  and  our  weatherly  posi 
tion,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  show  you  some  time  about  eight 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  Quicker  passages  have  been 
made  certainly,  but  forty  days,  after  all,  is  no  great  matter  for 
the  westerly  run,  considering  that  we  have  had  a  look  at  Africa, 
and  are  walking  on  crutches." 

"  We  owe  a  great  deal  to  the  trades,"  observed  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  ;  "  which  have  treated  us  as  kindly  towards  the  end  of  the 
passage,  as  they  seemed  reluctant  to  join  us  in  the  commence 
ment.  It  has  been  a  momentous  month,  and  I  hope  we  shall 
all  retain  healthful  recollections  of  it  as  long  as  we  live." 

"  No  one  will  retain  as  grateful  recollections  of  it  as  myself, 
gentlemen,"  resumed  the  captain.  "You  had  no  agency  in 
getting  us  into  the  scrape,  but  the  greatest  possible  agency  in 
getting  us  out  of  it.  Without  the  knowledge,  prudence,  and 
courage  that  you  have  all  displayed,  God  knows  what  would 
have  become  of  the  poor  Montauk,  and  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart  I  thank  you,  each  and  all,  while  I  have  the  heartfelt  sat 
isfaction  of  seeing  you  around  me,  and  of  drinking  to  your  fu 
ture  health,  happiness,  and  prosperity." 

The  passengers  acknowledged  their  thanks  in  return,  by 
bows,  among  which  that  of  Mr.  Dodge  was  the  most  elaborate 
and  conspicuous.  The  honest  captain  was  too  much  touched, 
to  observe  this  little  piece  of  audacity,  but,  at  that  moment,  he 
could  have  taken  even  Mr.  Dodge  in  his  arms  and  pressed  him 
to  his  heart. 

"  Come,  gentlemen,"  he  continued  ;  let  us  fill,  and  do  honor 
to  the  night.  God  has  us  all  in  his  holy  keeping,  and  we  drift 


472  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

about  in  the  squalls  of  life,  pretty  much  as  he  orders  the  wind 
to  blow.  '  Sweethearts  and  wives !'  and,  Mr.  Effingham,  we 
will  not  forget  beautiful,  spirited,  sensible,  and  charming 
daughters.1' 

After  this  piece  of  nautical  gallantry,  the  glass  began  to  cir 
culate.  The  captain,  Sir  George  Ternplemore — as  the  false 
baronet  was  still  called  in  the  cabin,  and  believed  to  be  by  all 
but  those  who  belonged  to  the  coterie  of  Eve — and  Mr.  Dodge, 
indulged  freely,  though  the  first  was  too  careful  of  the  reputa 
tion  of  his  ship,  to  forget  that  he  was  on  the  American  coast  in 
November.  The  others  partook  more  sparingly,  though  even 
they  submitted  in  a  slight  degree  to  the  influence  of  good  cheer, 
and  for  the  first  time  since  their  escape,  the  laugh  was  heard  in 
the  cabin  as  was  wont  before  to  be  the  case.  An  hour  of  such 
indulgence  produced  again  some  of  the  freedom  and  ease  which 
mark  the  associations  of  a  ship,  after  the  ice  is  fairly  broken, 
and  even  Mr.  Dodge  began  to  be  tolerated.  This  person,  not 
withstanding  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  of  the  battle,  had 
contrived  to  maintain  his  ground  with  the  spurious  baronet,  by 
dint  of  assiduity  and  flattery,  while  the  others  had  rather  felt 
pity  than  aversion,  on  account  of  his  abject  cowardice.  The 
gentlemen  did  not  mention  his  desertion  at  the  critical  mo 
ment  (though  Mr.  Dodge  never  forgave  those  who  witnessed 
it),  for  they  looked  upon  his  conduct  as  the  result  of  a  natural 
and  unconquerable  infirmity,  that  rendered  him  as  much  the 
subject  of  compassion  as  of  reproach.  Encouraged  by  this  for 
bearance,  and  mistaking  its  motives,  he  had  begun  to  hope  his 
absence  had  not  been  detected  in  the  confusion  of  the  fight, 
and  he  had  even  carried  his  audacity  so  far,  as  to  make  an  at 
tempt  to  persuade  Mr.  Sharp  that  he  had  actually  been  one  of 
those  who  went  in  the  launch  of  the  Dane,  to  bring  down  the 
other  boat  and  raft  to  the  reef,  after  the  ship  had  been  recap 
tured.  It  is  true,  in  this  attempt,  he  had  met  with  a  cold  re 
pulse,  but  it  was  so  gentlemanlike  and  distant,  that  he  had  still 
hopes  of  succeeding  in  persuading  the  other  to  believe  what 


H  0  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  0  U  N  D  .  473 

he  affirmed ;  by  way  of  doing  which,  he  endeavored  all  he 
could  to  believe  it  himself.  So  much  confusion  existed  in  his 
own  faculties  during  the  fray,  that  Mr.  Dodge  was  fain  to  fancy 
others  also  might  not  have  been  able  to  distinguish  things  very 
accurately. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  feelings,  Captain  Truck,  when 
the  glass  had  circulated  a  little  freely,  called  on  the  Editor  of 
the  Active  Inquirer  to  favor  the  company  with  some  more  ex 
tracts  from  his  journal.  Little  persuasion  was  necessary,  and 
Mr.  Dodge  went  into  his  stateroom  to  bring  forth  the  valuable 
records  of  his  observations  and  opinions,  with  a  conviction  that 
all  was  forgotten,  and  that  he  was  once  more  about  to  resume 

O  ' 

his  proper  place  in  the  social  relations  of  the  ship.  As  for 
the  four  gentlemen  who  had  been  over  the  ground  the  other 
pretended  to  describe,  they  prepared  to  listen,  as  men  of  the 
world  would  be  apt  to  listen  to  the  superficial  and  valueless 
comments  of  a  tyro,  though  not  without  some  expectations  of 
amusement. 

"•  I  propose  that  we  shift  the  scene  to  London,"  said  Captain 
Truck,  "in  order  that  a  plain  seaman,  like  myself,  may  judge 
of  the  merits  of  the  writer — which,  I  make  no  doubt,  are  very 
great ;  though  I  cannot  now  swear  to  it  with  as  free  a  con 
science  as  I  could  wish." 

"  If  I  knew  the  pleasure  of  the  majority,"  returned  Mr.  Dodge, 
dropping  the  journal,  and  looking  about  him  inquiringly,  "  I 
would  cheerfully  comply  with  it ;  for  I  think  the  majority  should 
always  rule.  Paris,  or  London,  or  the  Rhine,  are  the  same  to 
me  ;  I  have  seen  them  all,  and  am  just  as  well  qualified  to  de 
scribe  the  one  as  to  describe  the  other." 

"No  one  doubts  it,  my  dear  sir;  but  I  am  not  as  well  quali 
fied  to  understand  one  of  your  descriptions  as  I  am  to  understand 
another.  Perhaps,  even  you,  sir,  may  express  yourself  more 
readily,  and  have  better  understood  what  was  said  to  you,  in 
English,  than  in  a  foreign  tongue." 

"  As  for  that,  I  do  not  think  the  value  of  my  remarks  is  lessened 


474  H  0  M  E  W  A  R  D      B  O  U  N  D  . 

by  the  one  circumstance,  or  enhanced  by  the  other,  sir.  I  make 
it  a  rule  always  to  be  right,  if  possible  ;  and  that,  I  fancy,  is  as 
much  as  the  natives  of  the  countries  themselves  can  very  well 
effect.  You  have  only  to  decide,  gentlemen,  whether  it  shall 
be  England,  or  France,  or  the  Continent." 

"I  confess  an  inclination  to  the  Continent"  said  John  Effing- 
ham  ;  "  for  one  could  scarcely  wish  to  limit  a  comprehensive 
ness  like  that  of  Mr.  Dodge's  to  an  island,  or  even  to  France." 

"  I  see  how  it  is,"  exclaimed  the  captain  ;  "  we  must  put  the 
traveller  through  all  his  paces,  and  have  a  little  of  both  ;  so  Mr. 
Dodge  will  have  the  kindness  to  touch  on  all  things  in  heaven 
and  earth,  London  and  Paris  inclusive." 

On  this  hint  the  journalist  turned  over  a  few  pages  carelessly, 
and  then  commenced  : 

"  *  Reached  Bruxdles  (Mr.  Dodge  pronounced  this  word 
Brucksills)  at  seven  in  the  evening,  and  put  up  at  the  best 
house  in  the  place,  called  the  Silver  Lamb,  which  is  quite  near 
the  celebrated  town-house,  and,  of  course,  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  beau  quarter.  As  we  did  not  leave  until  after  breakfast  next 
morning,  the  reader  may  expect  a  description  of  this  ancient 
capital.  It  lies  altogether  on  a  bit  of  low,  level  land — 

"  Nay,  Mr.  Dodge,"  interrupted  the  soi-disant  Sir  George,  "  I 
think  that  must  be  an  error.  I  have  been  at  Brussels,  and  I 
declare,  now,  it  struck  me  as  lying  a  good  deal  on  the  side  of  a 
very  steep  hill !" 

"  All  a  mistake,  sir,  I  do  assure  you.  There  is  no  more 
hill  at  BrucTcsills  than  on  the  deck  of  this  ship.  You  have 
been  in  too  great  a  hurry,  my  dear  Sir  George ;  that  is  the  way 
with  most  travellers ;  they  do  not  give  themselves  time  to  note 
particulars.  You  English  especially,  my  dear  Sir  George,  are 
a  little  apt  to  be  precipitate;  and  I  dare  say,  you  travelled  post, 
with  four  horses,  a  mode  of  getting  on  by  which  a  man  may 
very  well  transfer  a  hill,  in  his  imagination,  from  one  town  to 
another.  I  travelled  chiefly  in  a  voitury,  which  afforded  leisure 
for  remarks." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  475 

Here  Mr.  Dodge  laughed ; v  for  he  felt  that  he  had  got  the  best 
of  it. 

"I  think  you  are  bound  to  submit,  Sir  George  Templemorc" 
said  John  Effingham,  with  an  emphasis  on  the  name  that  raised 
a  smile  among  his  friends;  "Brussels  certainly  lies  on  aflat; 
and  the  hill  you  saw  has,  doubtless,  been  brought  up  with  you 
from  Holland  in  your  haste.  Mr.  Dodge  enjoyed  a  great  ad 
vantage  in  his  mode  of  travelling;  for,  by  entering  a  town  in 
the  evening,  and  quitting  it  only  in  the  morning,  he  had  the 
whole  night  to  look  about  him." 

"  That  was  just  my  mode  of  proceeding,  Mr.  John  Effing- 
ham  ;  I  made  it  a  rule  to  pass  an  entire  night  in  every  large 
town  I  came  to." 

"  A  circumstance  that  will  give  a  double  value  to  your  opin 
ions  with  our  countrymen,  Mr.  Dodge,  since  they  very  seldom 
give  themselves  half  that  leisure  when  once  in  motion.  I  trust 
you  have  not  passed  over  the  institutions  of  Belgium,  sir ;  and 
most  particularly  the  state  of  society  in  the  capital,  of  which 
you  saw  so  much  ?" 

"By  no  means;  here  are  my  remarks  on  these  subjects: 
*  Belgium,  or  The  Beiges,  as  the  country  is  now  called,  is  one 
of  the  upstart  kingdoms  that  have  arisen  in  our  times;  and 
which,  from  signs  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  is  fated  soon  to  be 
overturned  by  the  glorious  principles  of  freedom.  The  people 
are  ground  down,  as  usual,  by  the  oppression  of  hard  task 
masters,  and  bloody-minded  priests.  The  monarch,  who  is  a 
bigoted  Catholic  of  the  House  of  Saxony,  being  a  son  of  the 
king  of  that  country,  and  a  presumptive  heir  to  the  throne  of 
Great  Britain,  in  right  of  his  first  wife,  devoting  all  his  thoughts 
to  miracles  and  saints.  The  nobles  form  a  class  by  them 
selves,  indulging  in  all  sorts  of  vices' — I  beg  pardon,  Sir  George, 
but  the  truth  must  be  told  in  our  country,  or  one  had  better 
never  speak — '  All  sorts  of  vices,  and  otherwise  betraying  the 
monstrous  tendencies  of  the  system.'  " 

"Pray,  Mr.  Dodge,"  interrupted  John  Effingham,  "have  you 


476  HOMEWAKD      BOUND. 

said  nothing  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  inhabitants  relieve 
the  eternal  ennui  of  always  walking  on  a  level  surface  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not,  sir.  My  attention  was  chiefly  given  to  the 
institutions,  and  to  the  state  of  society,  although  I  can  readily 
imagine  they  must  get  to  be  heartily  tired  of  a  dead  flat," 

"  Why,  sir,  they  have  contrived  to  run  a  street  up  and  down 
the  roof  of  the  cathedral ;  and  up  and  down  this  street  they 
trot  all  hours  of  the  day." 

Mr.  Dodge  looked  distrustful ;  but  John  Effingham  main 
tained  his  gravity.  After  a  pause  the  former  continued  : 

"  '  The  usages  of  Brucksills  are  a  mixture  of  Low  Dutch  and 
High  Dutch  habits,  as  is  the  language.  The  king  being  a  Po- 
lander,  and  a  grandson  of  Augustus,  King  of  Poland,  is  anxious 
to  introduce  the  customs  of  the  Russians  into  his  court;  while 
his  amiable  young  queen,  who  wras  born  in  New  Jersey  when 
her  illustrious  father  kept  the  school  at  Haddonfiekl,  early  im 
bibed  those  notions  of  republicanism  which  so  eminently  distin 
guish  his  Grace  the  Honorable  Louis  Philippe  Orleans,  the 
present  King  of  the  French.'  " 

"  Nay,  Mr.  Dodge,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "  you  will  have  all  the 
historians  ready  to  cut  your  throat  with  envy !" 

"  Why,  sir,  I  feel  it  a  duty  not  to  throw  away  the  great  op 
portunities  I  have  enjoyed ;  and  America  is  a  country  in  which 
an  editor  may  never  hope  to  mystify  his  readers.  We  deal 
with  them  in  facts,  Mr.  Sharp ;  and  although  this  may  not  be 
your  English  practice,  we  think  that  truth  is  powerful  and  will 
prevail.  To  continue, — '  The  kingdom  of  the  Beiges  is  about  as 
large  as  the  northeast  corner  of  Connecticut,  including  one  town 
in  Rhode  Island  ;  and  the  whole  population  may  be  about  equal 
to  that  of  our  tribe  of  Creek  Indians,  who  dwell  in  the  wilder 
parts  of  our  State  of  Georgia.'  " 

"  This  particularity  is  very  convincing,"  observed  Paul ; 
"and  then  it  has  the  merit,  too,  of  coming  from  an  eye 
witness." 

"  I  will  now,  gentlemen,  return  with   you  to  Paris,  where  I 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  477 

stayed  all  of  three  weeks,  and  of  the  society,  of  which  my 
knowledge  of  the  language  will,  of  course,  enable  me  to  give  a 
still  more  valuable  account.1' 

"  You  mean  to  publish  these  hints,  I  trust,  sir  ?"  inquired  the 
captain. 

"I  shall  probably  collect  them,  and  enlarge  them  in  the  way 
of  a  book ;  but  they  have  already  been  laid  before  the  Ameri 
can  public  in  the  columns  of  the  Active  Inquirer.  I  can  as 
sure  you,  gentlemen,  that  my  colleagues  of  the  press  have 
spoken  quite  favorably  of  the  letters  as  they  appeared.  Perhaps 
you  would  like  to  hear  some  of  their  opinions  ?" 

Hereupon  Mr.  Dodge  opened  a  pocket-book,  out  of  which  he 
took  six  or  eight  slips  of  printed  paper,  that  had  been  preserved 
with  care,  though  obviously  well  thumbed.  Opening  one,  he 
read  as  follows  : 

"  '  Our  friend  Dodge,  of  the  Active  Inquirer,  is  instructing  his 
readers,  and  edifying  mankind  in  general,  with  some  very  ex 
cellent  and  pungent  remarks  on  the  state  of  Europe,  which  part 
of  the  world  he  is  now  exploring  with  some  such  enterprise  and 
perseverance  as  Columbus  discovered  when  he  entered  on  the 
unknown  waste  of  the  Atlantic.  His  opinions  meet  with  our 
unqualified  approbation,  being  sound,  American,  and  discrimi 
nating.  We  fancy  these  Europeans  will  begin  to  think  in  time 
that  Jonathan  has  some  pretty  shrewd  notions  concerning  them 
selves,  the  critturs!'  This  was  extracted  from  the  People's 
Advocate,  a  journal  edited  with  great  ability,  by  Peleg  Pond, 
Esquire,  a  thorough-going  republican,  and  a  profound  observer 
of  mankind." 

"In  his  own  parish  in  particular,"  quaintly  added  John 
Effing-ham.  "  Pray,  sir,  have  you  anymore  of  these  critical 
morceaux  ?n 

"  At  least  a  dozen,"  beginning  to  read  again  : — " '  Steadfast 
Dodge,  Esquire,  the  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer,  is  now  travel 
ling  in  Europe,  and  is  illuminating  the  public  mind  at  home  by 
letters  that  are  Johnsonian  in  style,  Chesterfieldian  in  taste  and 


478  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

in  knowledge  of  the  world,  with  the  redeeming  qualities  of  na 
tionality,  and  republicanism,  and  truth.  We  rejoice  to  perceive 
by  these  valuable  contributions  to  American  literature,  that 
Steadfast  Dodge,  Esquire,  finds  no  reason  to  envy  the  inhabit 
ants  of  the  Old  World  any  of  their  boasted  civilization ;  but 
that,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  impressed  with  the  superiority  of 
our  condition  over  all  countries,  every  post  that  he  progresses. 
America  has  produced  but  few  men  like  Dodge ;  and  even 
Walter  Scott  might  not  be  ashamed  to  own  some  of  his  de 
scriptions.  We  hope  he  may  long  continue  to  travel.' " 

"  Voitury"  added  John  Effingham,  gravely.  "  You  perceive, 
gentlemen,  how  modestly  these  editors  set  forth  their  intimacy 
with  the  traveller — 'our  friend  Dodge,  of  the  Active  Inquirer,' 
and  *  Steadfast  Dodge,  Esquire !' — a  mode  of  expression  that 
speaks  volumes  for  their  own  taste,  and  their  profound  deference 
for  their  readers." 

"  We  always  speak  of  each  other  in  this  manner,  Mr.  John 
Effingham — that  is  our  esprit  du  corps" 

"  And  I  should  think  that  there  would  be  an  esprit  de  corps 
in  the  public  to  resist  it,"  observed  Paul  Blunt. 

The  distinction  was  lost  on  Mr.  Dodge,  who  turned  over  to 
one  of  his  most  elaborate  strictures  on  the  state  of  society  in 
France,  with  all  the  self-complacency  of  besotted  ignorance  and 
provincial  superciliousness.  Searching  out  a  place  to  his  mind, 
this  profound  observer  of  men  and  manners,  who  had  studied  a 
foreign  people,  whose  language  when  spoken  was  gibberish  to 
him,  by  travelling  five  days  in  a  public  coach,  and  living  four 
weeks  in  taverns  and  eating-houses,  besides  visiting  three  thea 
tres,  in  which  he  did  not  understand  a  single  word  that  was 
uttered,  proceeded  to  lay  before  his  auditors  the  results  of  his 
observations. 

" '  The  state  of  female  society  in  France  is  truly  awful,' "  he 
resumed  ;  " '  the  French  Revolution,  as  is  universally  known, 
having  left  neither  decorum,  modesty,  nor  beauty  in  the  nation. 
I  walk  nightly  in  the  galleries  of  the  Palais  Royal,  where  I  lo- 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  479 

cate  myself,  and  get  every  opportunity  of  observing  the  peculi 
arities  of  ladies  of  the  first  taste  and  fashion  in  the  metropolis 
of  Europe.  There  is  one  duchess  in  particular,  whose  grace 
and  embonpoint  have,  I  confess,  attracted  my  admiration.  This 
lady,  as  my  lacquais  de  place  informs  me,  is  sometimes  termed  la 
mere  du  peuple,  from  her  popularity  and  affability.  The  young 
ladies  of  France,  judging  from  the  specimens  I  have  seen  here — 
which  must  be  of  the  highest  class  in  the  capital,  as  the  spot  is 
under  the  windows  of  one  of  the  royal  palaces — are  by  no 
means  observable  for  that  quiet  reserve  and  modest  diffidence 
that  distinguish  the  fair  among  our  own  young  countrywomen ; 
but  it  must  be  admitted  they  are  remarkable  for  the  manner  in 
which  they  walk  alone,  in  my  judgment  a  most  masculine  and 
unbecoming  practice.  "Woman  was  not  made  to  live  alone,  and 
I  shall  contend  that  she  was  not  made  to  walk  alone.  At 
the  same  time,  I  confess  there  is  a  certain  charm  in  the  manner 
in  which  these  ladies  place  a  hand  in  each  pocket  of  their 
aprons,  and  balance  their  bodies,  as  they  move  like  duchesses 
through  the  galleries.  If  I  might  humbly  suggest,  the  Ameri 
can  fair  might  do  worse  than  imitate  this  Parisian  step ;  for, 
as  a  traveller,  I  feel  it  a  duty  to  exhibit  any  superior  quality 
that  other  nations  possess.  I  would  also  remark  on  the  gen 
eral  suavity  of  manners  that  the  ladies  of  quality'  "  (this  word 
Mr.  Dodge  pronounced  qua-a-lity)  "  '  observe  in  their  prome 
nades  in  and  about  this  genteel  quarter  of  Paris.'  " 

"  The  French  ladies  ought  to  be  much  flattered  with  this  no 
tice  of  them,"  cried  the  captain,  filling  Mr.  Dodge's  glass.  "In 
the  name  of  truth  and  penetration,  sir,  proceed." 

" '  I  have  lately  been  invited  to  attend  a  ball  in  one  of  the 
first  families  of  France,  which  resides  in  the  Rue  St.  Jacques,  or 
the  St.  James'  of  Paris.  The  company  was  select,  and  com 
posed  of  many  of  the  first  persons  in  the  kingdom  of  des  Fran- 
cais.  The  best  possible  manners  were  to  be  seen  here,  and  the 
dancing  was  remarkable  for  its  grace  and  beauty.  The  air 
with  which  the  ladies  turned  their  heads  on  one  side,  and  in- 


480  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

clincd  their  bodies  in  advancing  and  retiring,  was  in  the  first 
style  of  the  court  of  Terpsichore.  They  were  all  of  the  very 
first  families  of  France.  I  heard  one  excuse  herself  for  going 
away  so  early,  as  Madame  la  Duckesse  expected  her ;  and 
another  observed  that  she  was  to  leave  town  in  the  morning 
with  Madame  la  Vicomtesse.  The  gentlemen,  with  few  excep 
tions,  were  in  fancy  dresses,  appearing  in  coats,  some  of  sky- 
blue,  some  green,  some  scarlet,  and  some  navy-blue,  as  fancy 
dictated,  and  all  more  or  less  laced  on  the  seams ;  much  in  the 
manner  as  was  the  case  with  the  Honorable  the  King  the  morn 
ing  I  saw  him  leave  for  Nully.  This  entertainment  was  alto 
gether  the  best  conducted  of  any  I  ever  attended,  the  gentlemen 
being  condescending,  and  without  the  least  pride,  and  the 
ladies  all  grace.' " 

"  Graces  would  be  more  expressive,  if  you  will  excuse  my 
suggesting  a  word,  sir,"  observed  John  Emngham,  as  the  other 
paused  to  take  breath. 

" '  I  have  observed  that  the  people  in  most  monarchies  are 
abject  and  low-minded  in  their  deportment.  Thus  the  men  take 
off  their  hats  when  they  enter  churches,  although  the  minister 
be  not  present ;  and  even  the  boys  take  off  their  hats  when 
they  enter  private  houses.  This  is  commencing  servility  young. 
I  have  even  seen  men  kneeling  on  the  cold  pavements  of  the 
churches  in  the  most  abject  manner,  and  otherwise  betraying 
the  feeling  naturally  created  by  slavish  institutions.'  " 

"  Lord  help  'em  !"  exclaimed  the  captain ;  "  if  they  begin  so 
young,  what  a  bowing  and  kneeling  set  of  blackguards  they 
will  get  to  be  in  time." 

"  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  Mr.  Dodge  has  pointed  out  the 
consequences  in  the  instance  of  the  abject  old  men  mentioned, 
who  probably  commenced  their  servility  by  entering  houses 
with  their  hats  off,"  said  John  Emngham. 

"  Just  so,  sir,"  rejoined  the  editor.  "  I  throw  in  these  little 
popular  traits  because  I  think  they  show  the  differences  be 
tween  nations." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  481 

"From  which  I  infer,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "that  in  your  part  of 
America  boys  do  not  take  off  their  hats  when  they  enter 
houses,  nor  men  kneel  in  churches  ?" 

"  Certainly  not,  sir.  Our  people  get  their  ideas  of  manliness 
early ;  and  as  for  kneeling  in  churches,  we  have  some  supersti 
tious  sects — I  do  not  mention  them ;  but,  on  the  whole,  no  na 
tion  can  treat  the  house  of  God  more  rationally  than  we  do  in 
America." 

"That  I  will  vouch  for,"  rejoined  John  Effingham;  "  for  the 
last  time  I  was  at  home  I  attended  a  concert  in  one  of  them, 
where  an  artiste  of  singular  nasal  merit  favored  the  company 
with  that  admirable  piece  of  conjoined  sentiment  and  music 
entitled  *  Four-and-twenty  fiddlers  all  in  a  row !'  " 

"  I'll  engage  for  it,"  cried  Mr.  Dodge,  swelling  with  national 
pride,  "  and  felt  all  the  time  as  independent  and  easy  as  if  he 
was  in  a  tavern.  Oh  !  superstition  is  quite  extinct  in  Ameriky! 
But  I  have  a  few  remarks  on  the  church  in  my  notes  upon 
England — perhaps  you  would  like  to  hear  them  ?" 

"  Let  me  entreat  you  to  read  them,"  said  the  true  Sir  George 
Tempi emore,  a  little  eagerly. 

"  Now,  I  protest  against  any  illiberality,"  added  the  false  Sir 
George,  shaking  his  finger. 

Mr.  Dodge  disregarded  both  ;  but,  turning  to  the  place,  he 
read  aloud,  with  his  usual  self-complacency  and  unction : 

"  '  To-day  I  attended  public  worship  in  St. Church, 

Minories.  The  congregation  was  composed  of  many  of  the 
first  people  of  England,  among  whom  were  present  Sir  Solomon 
Snore,  formerly  HIGH  Sheriff  of  London,  a  gentleman  of  the 
first  consideration  in  the  empire,  and  the  celebrated  Mr.  Shil 
ling,  of  the  firm  of  Pound,  Shilling,  and  Pence.  There  was 
certainly  a  fine  air  of  polite  life  in  the  congregation,  but  a  little 
too  much  idolatry.  Sir  Solomon  and  Mr.  Shilling  were  both 
received  with  distinction,  which  was  very  proper,  when  we  re 
member  their  elevated  rank ;  but  the  genuflexions  and  chant 
ing  met  with  my  very  unqualified  disapprobation.' " 

21 


482  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"Sir  Solomon  and  the  other  personage  you  mention  were  a 
little  pursy,  perhaps,"  observed  Mr.  Sharp,  "  which  destroyed 
their  grace." 

"  I  disapprove  of  all  kneeling,  on  general  principles,  sir.  If 
we  kneel  to  one,  we  shall  get  to  kneel  to  another,  and  no  one 
can  tell  where  it  will  end.  '  The  exclusive  manner  in  which 
the  congregation  were  seated  in  pews,  with  sides  so  high  that 
it  was  difficult  to  see  your  nearest  neighbor  ;  and  these  pews' 
(Mr.  Dodge  pronounced  this  word  poohs)  'have  often  curtains 
that  completely  inclose  their  owners — a  system  of  selfishness 
that  would  not  be  long  tolerated  in  Ameriky?  " 

"  Do  individuals  own  their  pews  in  America  ?"  inquired  Mr. 
Sharp. 

"  Often,"  returned  John  Effingham  ;  "  always,  except  in  those 
particular  portions  of  the  country  where  it  is  deemed  invidious, 
and  contrary  to  the  public  rights,  to  be  better  off  than  one's 
neighbor,  by  owning  any  thing  that  all  the  community  has  not 
a  better  claim  to  than  its  proprietor." 

"  And  cannot  the  owner  of  a  pew  curtain  it,  with  a  view  to 
withdraw  into  himself  at  public  worship  ?" 

"America  and  England  are  the  antipodes  of  each  other  in 
all  these  things.  I  dare  say,  now,  that  you  have  come  among 
us  with  an  idea  that  our  liberty  is  so  very  licentious,  that  a 
man  may  read  a  newspaper  by  himself?" 

"I  confess,  certainly,  to  that  much,"  returned  Mr.  Sharp, 
smiling. 

"  We  shall  teach  him  better  than  this,  Mr.  Dodge,  before  we 
let  him  depart.  No,  sir ;  you  have  very  contracted  ideas  of 
liberty,  I  perceive.  With  us,  every  thing  is  settled  by  majori 
ties.  We  eat  when  the  majority  eats;  drink  when  the  major 
ity  drinks;  sleep  when  the  majority  sleeps;  pray  when  the 
majority  prays.  So  far  from  burying  ourselves  in  deep  wells  of 
pews,  with  curtains  around  their  edges,  we  have  raised  the 
floors,  amphitheatre  fashion,  so  that  everybody  can  see  every 
body  ;  have  taken  away  the  sides  of  the  pews,  which  we  have 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  483 

converted  into  free  and  equal  seats,  and  have  cut  down  the 
side  of  the  pulpit,  so  that  we  can  look  at  the  clergyman ;  but  I 
understand  there  is  actually  a  project  on  foot  to  put  the  con 
gregation  into  the  pulpit,  and  the  parson  into  the  aisle,  by  way 
of  letting  the  latter  see  that  he  is  no  better  than  he  should  be. 
This  would  be  a  capital  arrangement,  Mr.  Dodge,  for  the  '  Four- 
and-twenty  fiddlers  all  in  a  row.'  " 

The  editor  of  the  Active  Inquirer  was  a  little  distrustful  of 
John  EfRngham,  and  he  was  not  sorry  to  continue  his  extracts, 
although  he  was  obliged  to  bring  himself  still  farther  under  the 
fire  of  his  assailant. 

" '  This  morning, '  "  Mr.  Dodge  resumed,  "  '  I  stepped  into  the 
coffee-room  of  the  Shovel  and  Tongs  public-house,  to  read 
the  morning  paper,  and,  taking  a  seat  by  the  side  of  a  gentle 
man  who  was  reading  the  Times,  and,  drawing  to  me  the 
leaves  of  the  journal,  so  that  it  would  be  more  convenient  to 
peruse,  the  man  insolently  and  arrogantly  demanded  of  me, 
What  the  devil  I  meant  ?  This  intolerance  in  the  English 
character  is  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  institutions,  under 
which  men  come  to  fancy  liberty  applies  to  persons  instead  of 
majorities.' " 

"You  perceive,  Mr.  Sharp,"  said  John  Effingham,  "how 
much  more  able  a  stranger  is  to  point  out  the  defects  of  na 
tional  character  than  a  native.  I  dare  say,  that  in  indulging 
your  individuality  hitherto,  you  have  imagined  you  were  en 
joying  liberty." 

"I  fear  I  have  committed  some  such  weakness — but  Mr. 
Dodge  will  have  the  goodness  to  proceed." 

The  editor  complied  as  follows :  "  *  Nothing  has  surprised 
me  more  than  the  grovelling  propensities  of  the  English  on  the 
subject  of  names.  Thus  this  very  inn,  which  in  America  would 
be  styled  the  Eagle  Tavern,  or  the  Oriental  or  Occidental  Ho 
tel,  or  the  Anglo-Saxon  Democratical  Coffee-house,  or  some 
other  equally  noble  and  dignified  appellation,  is  called  the 
Shovel  and  Tongs.  One  tavern,  which  might  very  appropri- 


484 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


ately  be  termed  The  Saloon  of  Peace,  is  very  vulgarly  called 
Dolly's  Chop-house.'  " 

All  the  gentlemen,  not  excepting  Mr.  Sharp,  murmured  their 
disgust  at  so  coarse  a  taste.  But  most  of  the  party  began  now 
to  tire  of  this  pretending  ignorance  and  provincial  vulgarity, 
and,  one  by  one,  most  of  them  soon  after  left  the  table.  Cap 
tain  Truck,  however,  sent  for  Mr.  Leach,  and  these  two  worthies, 
with  Mr.  Dodge  and  the  spurious  baronet,  sat  an  hour  longer, 
when  all  retired  to  their  berths. 


UOMEWARD     BOUND.  485 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

"  I'll  meet  thee  at  Philippi." 

SHAKSPEARK. 

HAPPY  is  the  man  who  arrives  on  the  coast  of  New  York, 
with  the  wind  at  the  southward,  in  the  month  of  November. 
There  are  two  particular  conditions  of  the  weather,  in  which 
the  stranger  receives  the  most  unfavorable  impressions  of  the 
climate  that  has  been  much  and  unjustly  abused,  but  which 
two  particular  conditions  warrant  all  the  evil  that  has  been  said 
of  it.  One  is  a  sweltering  day  in  summer,  and  the  other  an 
autumnal  day,  in  which  the  dry  north  wind  scarce  seems  to 
leave  any  marrow  in  the  bones. 

The  passengers  of  the  Montauk  escaped  both  these  evils,  and 
now  approached  the  coast  with  a  bland  southwest  breeze  and  a 
soft  sky.  The  ship  had  been  busy  in  the  night,  and  when  the 
party  assembled  on  deck  in  the  morning,  Captain  Truck  told 
them  that  in  an  hour  they  should  have  a  sight  of  the  kmg-de- 
sired  western  continent.  As  the  packet  was  running  in  at  the 
rate  of  nine  knots,  under  topmast  and  topgallant  studding-sails, 
being  to  windward  of  her  port,  this  was  a  promise  that  the  gal 
lant  vessel  seemed  likely  enough  to  redeem. 

"  Toast !"  called  out  the  captain,  who  had  dropped  into  his 
old  habits  as  naturally  as  if  nothing  had  occurred,  "  bring  me  a 
coal ;  and  you,  master  steward,  look  well  to  the  breakfast  this 
morning.  If  the  wind  stands  six  hours  longer,  I  shall  have  the 
grief  of  parting  with  this  good  company,  and  you  the  grief  of 
knowing  you  will  never  set  another  meal  before  them.  These 


486  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

are  moments  to  awaken  sentiment,  and  yet  I  never  knew  an 
officer  of  the  pantry  that  did  not  begin  to  grin  as  he  drew  near 
his  port." 

"  It  is  usually  a  cheerful  moment  with  every  one,  I  believe, 
Captain  Truck,"  said  Eve,  "  and  most  of  all,  should  it  be  one  of 
heartfelt  gratitude  with  us." 

"  Ay,  ay,  my  dear  young  lady ;  and  yet  I  fancy  Mr.  Saunders 
will  explain  it  rather  differently.  Has  no  one  sung  out  '  land,' 
yet,  from  aloft,  Mr.  Leach  ?  The  sands  of  New  Jersey  ought 
to  be  visible  before  this." 

"  We  have  seen  the  haze  of  the  land  since  daylight,  but  not 
land  itself." 

"  Then,  like  old  Columbus,  the  flowered  doublet  is  mine — 
land,  ho !" 

The  mates  and  the  people  laughed,  and,  looking  ahead,  they 
nodded  to  each  other,  and  the  word  "  land"  passed  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  with  the  indifference  with  which  mariners  first  see  it 
in  short  passages.  Not  so  with  the  rest.  They  crowded  to 
gether,  and  endeavored  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  coveted 
shore,  though,  with  the  exception  of  Paul,  neither  could  per 
ceive  it. 

"  We  must  call  on  you  for  assistance,"  said  Eve,  who  now 
seldom  addressed  the  handsome  young  seaman  Avithout  a  flush 
on  her  own  beautiful  face  ;  "  for  we  are  all  so  lubberly  that  none 
of  us  can  see  that  which  we  so  earnestly  desire." 

"Have  the  kindness  to  look  over  the  stock  of  that  anchor," 
said  Paul,  glad  of  an  excuse  to  place  himself  nearer  to  Eve, 
"  and  you  will  discover  an  object  on  the  water." 

"I  do,"  said  Eve,  "but  is  it  not  a  vessel?" 

"  It  is ;  but  a  little  to  the  right  of  that  vessel,  do  you  not 
perceive  a  hazy  object  at  some  elevation  above  the  sea  ?" 

"  The  cloud,  you  mean — a  dim,  ill-defined,  dark  body  of 
vapor  2" 

"  So  it  may  seem  to  you,  but  to  me  it  appears  to  be  the  land. 
That  is  the  bluff-like  termination  of  the  celebrated  highlands 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  487 

of  ISTavesink.  By  watching  it  for  half  an  hour,  you  will  per 
ceive  its  form  and  surface  grow  gradually  more  distinct." 

Eve  eagerly  pointed  out  the  place  to  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
and  her  father,  and  from  that  moment,  for  near  an  hour,  most 
of  the  passengers  kept  it  steadily  in  view.  As  Paul  had  said, 
the  blue  of  this  hazy  object  deepened ;  then  its  base  became 
connected  with  the  water,  and  it  ceased  to  resemble  a  cloud  at 
all.  In  twenty  more  minutes  the  faces  and  angles  of  the  hills 
became  visible,  and  trees  started  out  of  their  sides.  In  the  end 
a  pair  of  twin  lights  were  seen  perched  on  the  summit. 

But  the  Montauk  edged  away  from  these  highlands,  and 
shaped  her  course  towards  a  long,  low  spit  of  sand,  that  lay 
several  miles  to  the  northward  of  them.  In  this  direction  fifty 
small  sail  were  gathering  into,  or  diverging  from  the  pass,  their 
high,  gaunt-looking  canvas  resembling  so  many  church  towers 
on  the  plains  of  Lombardy.  These  were  coasters,  steering 
towards  their  several  havens.  Two  or  three  outward-bound 
ships  were  among  them,  holding  their  way  in  the  direction  of 
China,  the  Pacific  Ocean,  or  Europe. 

About  nine,  the  Montauk  met  a  large  ship  standing  on  a 
bowline,  with  every  thing  set  that  would  draw,  and  heaping 
the  water  under  her  bows.  A  few  minutes  after,  Captain  Truck, 
whose  attention  had  been  much  diverted  from  the  surrounding 
objects  by  the  care  of  his  ship,  came  near  the  group  of  passen 
gers,  and  once  more  entered  into  conversation. 

"  Here  we  are,  my  dear  young  lady !"  he  cried,  "  within  five 
leagues  of  Sandy  Hook,  which  lies  hereaway,  under  our  lee 
bow ;  as  pretty  a  position  as  heart  could  wish.  This  lank, 
hungry-looking  schooner  in-shore  of  us,  is  a  news-vessel,  and, 
as  soon  as  she  is  done  with  the  brig  near  her,  we  shall  have  her 
in  chase,  when  there  will  be  a  good  opportunity  to  get  rid  of 
all  our  spare  lies.  This  little  fellow  to  leeward,  who  is  clawing 
up  towards  us,  is  the  pilot ;  after  whose  arrival  my  functions 
cease,  and  I  shall  have  little  to  do  but  to  rattle  off  Saunders 
and  Toast,  and  to  feed  the  pigs." 


488  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

••  And  who  is  this  gentleman  ahead  of  us,  with  his  maintop- 
sail  to  the  inast,  his  courses  in  the  brails,  and  his  helm  a-lee  T 
asked  Paul. 

"Some  chap  who  has  forgotten  his  knee-buckles,  and  has 
been  obliged  to  send  a  boat  up  to  town  to  hunt  for  them," 
coolly  rejoined  the  captain,  while  he  sought  the  focus  of  the 
glass,  and  levelled  it  at  the  vessel  in  question.  The  look  was 
long  and  steady,  and  twice  Captain  Truck  lowered  the  instru 
ment  to  wipe  the  moisture  from  his  own  eye.  At  length  he 
called  out,  to  the  amazement  of  everybody — 

••  Stand  by  to  in  all  studding-sails,  and  to  ware  to  the  east 
ward.  Be  lively,  men,  be  lively !  The  eternal  Foam,  as  I  am 
a  miserable  sinner  !*' 

Paul  laid  a  hand  on  the  arm  of  Captain  Truck,  and  stopped 
him,  as  the  other  was  about  to  spring  towards  the  forecastle, 
with  a  view  to  aid  and  encourage  his  people. 

"  You  forget  that  we  have  neither  spars  nor  sails  suited  to  a 
chase,"  said  the  young  man.  "  If  we  haul  off  to  seaward  on 
any  tack  we  can  try,  the  corvette  will  be  too  much  for  us  now, 
and  excuse  me  if  I  say  that  a  different  course  will  be  advisable." 

The  captain  had  learned  to  respect  the  opinion  of  Paul,  and 
he  took  the  interference  kindly. 

"  What  choice  remains,  but  to  run  down  into  the  very  jaws 
of  the  lion,*'  he  asked,  "  or  to  wear  round,  and  stand  to  the  east 
ward  r 

"  We  have  two  alternatives.  We  may  pass  unnoticed,  the 
ship  being  so  much  altered ;  or  we  may  haul  up  on  the  tack  we 
are  on,  and  get  into  shallow  water." 

••  He  draws  as  little  as  this  ship,  sir,  and  would  follow.  There 
is  no  port  short  of  Egg  Harbor,  and  into  that  I  should  be  bash 
ful  about  entering  with  a  vessel  of  this  size ;  whereas,  by  run 
ning  to  the  eastward,  and  doubling  Montauk,  which  would  owe 
us  shelter  on  account  of  our  name,  I  might  get  into  the  Sound, 
or  Xew  London,  at  need,  and  then  claim  the  sweepstakes,  as 
having  won  the  race." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  489 

"  This  "would  be  impossible,  Captain  Truck,  allow  me  to  say. 
Dead  before  the  wind,  we  cannot  escape,  for  the  land  would 
fetch  us  up  in  a  couple  of  hours ;  to  enter  by  Sandy  Hook,  if 
known,  is  impossible,  on  account  of  the  corvette,  and,  in  a  chase 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  we  should  be  certain  to  be 
overtaken." 

'  I  fear  you  are  right,  my  dear  sir,  I  fear  you  are  right.  The 
studding-sails  are  now  in,  and  I  will  haul  up  for  the  highlands, 
and  anchor  under  them,  should  it  be  necessary.  We  can  then 
give  this  fellow  Vattel  in  large  quantities,  for  I  hardly  think  he 
will  venture  to  seize  us  while  we  have  an  anchor  fast  to  good 
American  ground." 

"  How  near  dare  you  stand  to  the  shore  ?" 

"  Within  a  mile  ahead  of  us ;  but  to  enter  the  Hook,  the  bar 
must  be  crossed  a  league  or  two  off." 

"  The  latter  is  unlucky ;  but,  by  all  means,  get  the  vessel  in 
with  the  land ;  so  near  as  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to  our  being 
in  American  waters." 

''We'll  try  him,  sir,  we'll  try  him.  After  having  escaped 
the  Arabs,  the  deuce  is  in  it,  if  we  cannot  weather  upon  John 
Bull !  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Sharp  ;  but  this  is  a  question 
that  must  be  settled  by  some  of  the  niceties  of  the  great  au 
thorities." 

The  yards  were  now  braced  forward,  and  the  ship  was 
brought  to  the  wind,  so  as  to  head  in  a  little  to  the  northward 
of  the  bathing-houses  at  Long  Branch.  But  for  this  sudden 
change  of  course,  the  Montauk  would  have  run  down  dead 
upon  the  corvette,  and  possibly  might  have  passed  her  unde 
tected,  owing  to  the  change  made  in  her  appearance  by  the 
spars  of  the  Dane.  So  long  as  she  continued  "  bows  on,"  stand 
ing  towards  them,  not  a  soul  on  board  the  Foam  suspected  her 
real  character,  though,  now  that  she  acted  so  strangely,  and 
offered  her  broadside  to  view,  the  truth  became  known  in  an 
instant.  The  mainyard  of  the  corvette  was  swung,  and  her 
sails  were  filled  on  the  same  course  as  that  on  which  the  packet 

21* 


490  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

was^steering.  The  two  vessels  were  about  ten  miles  from  the 
land,  the  Foam  a  little  ahead,  but  fully  a  league  to  leeward. 
The  latter,  however,  soon  tacked  and  stood  in-shore.  This 
brought  the  vessels  nearly  abreast  of  each  other,  the  corvette  a 
mile  or  more  dead  to  leeward,  and  distant  now  some  six  miles 
from  the  coast.  The  great  superiority  of  the  corvette's  sailing 
was  soon  apparent  to  all  on  board  both  vessels,  for  she  appa 
rently  went  two  feet  to  the  packet's  one. 

The  history  of  this  meeting,  so  unexpected  to  Captain  Truck, 
was  very  simple.  When  the  gale  had  abated,  the  corvette, 
which  had  received  no  damage,  hauled  up  along  the  African 
coast,  keeping  as  near  as  possible  to  the  supposed  track  of  the 
packet,  and  failing  to  fall  in  with  her  chase,  she  had  filled  away 
for  New  York.  On  making  the  Hook  she  took  a  pilot,  and  in 
quired  if  the  Montauk  had  arrived.  From  the  pilot  she  learned 
that  the  vessel  of  which  she  was  in  quest  had  not  yet  made  its 
appearance,  and  she  sent  an  officer  up  to  the  town  to  communi 
cate  with  the  British  consul.  On  the  return  of  this  officer,  the 
corvette  stood  away  from  the  land,  and  commenced  cruising  in 
the  offing.  For  a  week  she  had  now  been  thus  occupied,  it 
being  her  practice  to  run  close  in,  in  the  morning,  and  to  re 
main  hovering  about  the  bar  until  near  night,  when  she  made 
sail  for  an  offing.  When  first  seen  from  the  Montauk,  she  had 
been  lying-to,  to  take  in  stores  sent  from  the  town,  and  to  com 
municate  with  a  news-boat. 

The  passengers  of  the  Montauk  had  just  finished  their  break 
fast,  when  the  mate  reported  that  the  ship  was  fast  shoaling  her 
water,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  alter  the  course  in  a 
few  minutes,  or  to  anchor.  On  repairing  to  the  deck,  Captain 
Truck  and  his  companions  perceived  the  land  less  than  a  mile 
ahead  of  them,  and  the  corvette  about  half  that  distance  to  the 
leeward,  and  nearly  abeam. 

"  That  is  a  bold  fellow,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  "  or  he  has 
got  a  Sandy  Hook  pilot  on  board  him." 

"  Most  probably  the  latter,"  said  Paul :    "  it  is  not  likely 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  491 

he  would  be  here  on  this  duty,  and  neglect  so  simple  a  pre 
caution." 

"  I  think  this  would  satisfy  Mr.  Vattel,  sir,"  returned  Captain 
Truck,  as  the  man  in  the  chains  sung  out,  '  and  a  half  three  !' 
"  Hard  up  with  the  helm,  and  lay  the  yards  square,  Mr.  Leach." 

"  Now  we  shall  soon  know  the  virtue  of  Vattel,"  said  John 
Effing-ham,  "  as  ten  minutes  will  suffice  to  raise  the  question 
very  fairly." 

The  Foam  put  her  helm  down,  and  tacked  beautifully  to  the 
southeast.  As  soon  as  the  Montauk — which  vessel  was  now 
running  along  shore,  keeping  in  about  four  fathoms  water,  the 
sea  being  as  smooth  as  a  pond — was  a-beam,  the  corvette  wore 
round,  and  began  to  close  with  her  chase,  keeping  on  her  east 
ern,  or  outer  board. 

"  Were  we  an  enemy,  and  a  match  for  that  sloop,"  said  Paul, 
"  this  smooth  water  and  yard-arm  attitude  would  make  quick 
work." 

"  Her  captain  is  in  the  gangway,  taking  our  measure,"  ob 
served  Mr.  Truck :  "  here  is  the  glass ;  I  wish  you  to  examine 
his  face,  and  tell  me  if  you  think  him  a  man  with  whom  the 
Jaw  of  nations  will  avail  any  thing.  See  the  anchor  clear,  Mr. 
Leach,  for  I'm  determined  to  bring  up  all  standing,  if  the  gen 
tleman  intends  to  renew  the  old  tricks  of  John  Bull  on  our 
coast.  What  do  you  make  of  him,  Mr.  Blunt  ?" 

Paul  did  not  answer,  but  laying  down  the  glass,  he  paced  the 
deck  rapidly  with  the  manner  of  one  much  disturbed.  All  ob 
served  this  sudden  change,  though  no  one  presumed  to  com 
ment  on  it.  In  the  mean  time  the  sloop-of-war  came  up  fast, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  her  larboard  foreyard-arm  was  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  starboard  mainyard-arm  of  the  Montauk,  the 
two  vessels  running  on  parallel  lines.  The  corvette  now  hauled 
up  her  forecourse,  and  let  her  topgallant-sails  settle  on  the 
caps,  though  a  dead  silence  reigned  in  her. 

"  Give  me  the  trumpet,"  said  Captain  Truck,  stepping  to  the 
rail;  "the  gentleman  is  about  to  give  us  a  piece  of  his  mind." 


492  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

The  English  captain,  who  was  easily  known  by  his  two  epau 
lettes,  also  held  a  trumpet ;  but  neither  of  the  two  commanders 
used  his  instrument,  the  distance  being  sufficiently  near  for  the 
natural  voice. 

"  I  believe,  sir,"  commenced  the  man-of-war's-man,  "  that  I 
have  the  pleasure  to  see  Captain  Truck,  of  the  Montauk,  Lon 
don  packet  ?" 

"  Ay,  ay ;  I'll  warrant  you  he  has  my  name  alongside  of  John 
Doe  and  Richard  Roe,"  muttered  Mr.  Truck,  "spelt  as  care 
fully  as  it  could  be  in  a  primer. — I  am  Captain  Truck,  and  this 
is  the  Montauk.  May  I  ask  the  name  of  your  vessel,  and  your 
own,  sir  ?" 

"This  is  his  Britannic  Majesty's  ship,  the  Foam,  Captain 
Ducie." 

"The  Honorable  Captain  Ducie !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sharp.  "I 
thought  I  recognized  the  voice ;  I  know  him  intimately  well." 

"Will  he  stand  Vattel?"  anxiously  demanded  Mr.  Truck. 

"  Nay,  as  for  that,  I  must  refer  you  to  himself." 

"  You  appear  to  have  suffered  in  the  gale,"  resumed  Captain 
Ducie,  whose  smile  was  very  visible,  as  he  thus  addressed  them 
like  an  old  acquaintance.  "  We  fared  better  ourselves,  for  I  be 
lieve  we  did  not  part  a  rope-yarn." 

"  The  ship  pitched  every  stick  out  of  her,"  returned  Captain 
Truck,  "  and  has  given  us  the  trouble  of  a  new  outfit." 

"  In  which  you  appear  to  have  succeeded  admirably.  Your 
spars  and  sails  are  a  size  or  two  too  small ;  but  every  thing 
stands  like  a  church." 

"  Ay,  ay,  now  we  have  got  on  our  new  clothes,  we  are  not 
ashamed  to  be  seen." 

"  May  I  ask  if  you  have  been  in  port  to  do  all  this  ?" 

"  No,  sir ;  picked  them  up  along-shore." 

The  Honorable  Captain  Ducie  thought  he  was  quizzed,  and 
his  manner  became  a  little  more  cold,  though  it  still  retained 
its  gentlemanlike  tone. 

"  I  wish  much  to  see  you  in  private,  sir,  on  an  affair  of  some 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  493 

magnitude,  and  I  greatly  regret  it  was  not  in  my  power  to 
speak  you  the  night  you  left  Portsmouth.  I  am  quite  aware 
you  are  in  your  own  waters,  and  I  feel  a  strong  reluctance  to 
retain  your  passengers  when  so  near  their  port  ;  but  I  shall  feel 
it  as  a  particular  favor  if  you  will  permit  me  to  repair  on  board 
for  a  few  minutes." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  cried  Captain  Truck  :  "  if  you  will  give 
me  room,  I  will  back  my  maintop-sail,  but  I  wish  to  lay  my 
head  off  shore.  This  gentleman  understands  Yattel,  and  we 
shall  have  no  trouble  with  him.  Keep  the  anchor  clear,  Mr. 
Leach,  for  '  fair  words  butter  no  parsnips.'  Still,  he  is  a  gentle 
man  ; — and,  Saunders,  put  a  bottle  of  the  old  Madeira  on  the 
cabin  table." 

Captain  Ducie  now  left  the  rigging  in  which  he  had  stood, 
and  the  corvette  luffed  off  to  the  eastward,  to  give  room  to  the 
packet,  where  she  hove-to  with  her  foretop-sail  aback.  The 
Montauk  followed,  taking  a  position  under  her  lee.  A  quarter- 
boat  was  lowered,  and  in  five  minutes  its  oars  were  tossed  at 
the  packet's  lee-gangway,  when  the  commander  of  the  corvette 
ascended  the  ship's  side,  followed  by  a  middle-aged  man  in  the 
dress  of  a  civilian,  and  a  chubby-faced  midshipman. 

No  one  could  mistake  Captain  Ducie  for  any  thing  but  a 
gentleman.  He  was  handsome,  well-formed,  and  about  five- 
and-twenty.  The  bow  he  made  to  Eve,  with  whose  beauty  and 
air  he  seemed  instantly  struck,  would  have  become  a  drawing- 
room  ;  but  he  was  too  much  of  an  officer  to  permit  any  farther 
attention  to  escape  him  until  he  had  paid  his  respects  to,  and 
received  the  compliments  of,  Captain  Truck.  He  then  turned 
to  the  ladies  and  Mr.  Effingham,  and  repeated  his  salutations. 

"  I  fear,"  he  said,  "  my  duty  has  made  me  the  unwilling  in 
strument  of  prolonging  your  passage,  for  I  believe  few  ladies 
love  the  ocean  sufficiently,  easily  to  forgive  those  who  lengthen 
its  disagreeables." 

"  We  are  old  travellers,  and  know  how  to  allow  for  the  obli 
gations  of  duty,"  Mr.  Effingham  civilly  answered. 


494  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

"That  they  do,  sir,"  put  in  Captain  Truck;  "and  it  was 
never  my  good  fortune  to  have  a  more  agreeable  set  of  pas 
sengers.  Mr.  Effingham,  the  Honorable  Captain  Ducie ; — the 
Honorable  Captain  Ducie,  Mr.  Effingham ; — Mr.  John  Effing- 
ham,  Mam'selle  V.  A.  V."  endeavoring  always  to  imitate  Eve's 
pronunciation  of  the  name  ; — "  Mr.  Dodge,  the  Honorable  Cap 
tain  Ducie ;  the  Honorable  Captain  Ducie,  Mr.  Dodge." 

The  Honorable  Captain  Ducie  and  all  the  others,  the  editor 
of  the  Active  Inquirer  excepted,  smiled  slightly,  though  they 
respectively  bowed  and  curtseyed ;  but  Mr.  Dodge,  who  con 
ceived  himself  entitled  to  be  formally  introduced  to  every  one 
he  met,  and  to  know  all  he  saw,  whether  introduced  or  not, 
stepped  forward  promptly,  and  shook  Mr.  Ducie  very  cordially 
by  the  hand. 

Captain  Truck  now  turned  in  quest  of  some  one  else  to  in 
troduce  ;  Mr.  Sharp  stood  near  the  capstan,  and  Paul  had  retired 
as  far  aft  as  the  hurricane-house. 

"  I  am  happy  to  see  you  in  the  Montauk,"  added  Captain 
Truck,  insensibly  leading  the  other  towards  the  capstan,  "  and 
am  sorry  I  had  not  the  satisfaction  of  meeting  you  in  England. 
The  Honorable  Captain  Ducie,  Mr.  Sharp ;  Mr.  Sharp,  the 
Honorable  Captain — " 

"  George  Templemore  !"  exclaimed  the  commander  of  the 
corvette,  looking  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  Charles  Ducie  !"  exclaimed  the  soi-disant  Mr.  Sharp. 

"  Here  then  is  an  end  of  part  of  my  hopes,  and  we  have 
been  on  a  wrong  scent  the  whole  time." 

"  Perhaps  not,  Ducie  :  explain  yourself." 

"  You  must  have  perceived  my  endeavors  to  speak  you,  from 
the  moment  you  sailed  ?" 

"  To-  speak  us  !"  cried  Captain  Truck.  "  Yes,  sir,  we  did 
observe  your  endeavors  to  speak  us" 

"  It  was  because  I  was  given  to  understand  that  one  calling 
himself  Sir  George  Templemore,  an  impostor,  however,  had 
taken  passage  in  this  ship ;  and  here  I  find  that  we  have  been 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  495 

misled,  by  the  real  Sir  George  Templemore's  having  chosen  to 
come  this  way  instead  of  coming  by  the  Liverpool  ship.  So 
much  for  your  confounded  fashionable  caprices,  Templemore, 
which  never  lets  you  know  in  the  morning  whether  you  are  to 
shoot  yourself  or  to  get  married  before  night." 

"  And  is  this  gentleman  Sir  George  Templemore  ?"  pithily 
demanded  Captain  Truck. 

"  For  that  I  can  vouch,  on  the  knowledge  of  my  whole  life." 

"  And  we  know  this  to  be  true,  and  have  known  it  since  the 
day  we  sailed,"  observed  Mr.  Effingham. 

Captain  Truck  was  accustomed  to  passengers  under  false 
names,  but  never  before  had  he  been  so  completely  mystified. 

"  And  pray,  sir,"  he  inquired  of  the  baronet,  "  are  you  a 
member  of  Parliament  ?" 

"  I  have  that  honor." 

"  And  Templemore  Hall  is  your  residence,  and  you  have 
come  out  to  look  at  the  Canadas  ?" 

"  I  am  the  owner  of  Templemore  Hall,  and  hope  to  look  at 
the  Canadas  before  I  return." 

"  And,"  turning  to  Captain  Ducie,  "  you  sailed  in  quest  of 
another  Sir  George  Templemore — a  false  one  ?" 

"  That  is  a  part  of  my  errand,"  returned  Captain  Ducie, 
smiling. 

"  Nothing  else  ? — you  are  certain,  sir,  that  this  is  the  whole 
of  your  errand  ?" 

"  I  confess  to  another  motive,"  rejoined  the  other,  scarce 
knowing  how  to  take  Captain  Truck's  question ;  "  but  this  one 
will  suffice  for  the  present,  I  hope." 

"  This  business  requires  frankness.  I  mean  nothing  disre 
spectful  ;  but  I  am  in  American  waters,  and  should  be  sorry, 
after  all,  to  be  obliged  to  throw  myself  on  Vattel." 

"  Let  me  act  as  mediator,"  interrupted  Sir  George  Temple- 
more.  "  Some  one  has  been  a  defaulter,  Ducie ;  is  it  not  so  ?" 

"  This  is  the  simple  truth  ;  an  unfortunate,  but  silly  young 
man,  of  the  name  of  Sandon.  He  was  intrusted  with  a  larg;e 


490  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

sum  of  the  public  money,  and  has  absconded  with  quite  forty 
thousand  pounds." 

"  And  this  person,  you  fancy,  did  me  the  honor  to  travel 
under  my  name  ?" 

"  Of  that  we  are  certain.  Mr.  Green  here,"  motioning  to  the 
civilian,  "  comes  from  the  same  office,  and  traced  the  delin 
quent,  under  your  name,  some  distance  on  the  Portsmouth  road. 
When  we  heard  that  a  Sir  George  Templemore  had  actually 
embarked  in  the  Montauk,  the  admiral  made  no  scruple  in 
sending  me  after  the  packet.  This  has  been  an  unlucky  mistake 
for  me,  as  it  would  have  been  a  feather  in  the  cap  of  so  young 
a  commander  to  catch  the  rogue." 

u  You  may  choose  your  feather,  sir,"  returned  Captain  Truck, 
"  for  you  will  have  a  right  to  wear  it.  The  unfortunate  young 
man  you  seek  is,  out  of  question,  in  this  ship." 

Captain  Truck  now  explained  that  there  was  a  person  below 
who  had  been  known  to  him  as  Sir  George  Templemore,  and 
who,  doubtless,  was  the  unhappy  delinquent  sought.  But 
Captain  Ducie  did  not  betray  the  attention  or  satisfaction  that 
one  would  have  expected  from  this  information,  his  eye  being 
riveted  on  Paul,  who  stood  beneath  the  hurricane-house.  When 
the  latter  saw  that  he  attracted  attention,  he  advanced  slowly, 
even  reluctantly,  upon  the  quarter-deck.  The  meeting  between 
these  two  gentlemen  was  embarrassed,  though  each  maintained 
his  self-possession. 

"  Mr.  Powis,  I  believe  ?"  said  the  officer,  bowing  haughtily. 

"  Captain  Ducie,  if  I  am  not  mistaken  ?"  returned  the  other, 
lifting  his  hat  steadily,  though  his  face  became  flushed. 

The  manner  of  the  two,  however,  was  but  little  noticed  at 
the  moment,  though  all  heard  the  words.  Captain  Truck  drew 
a  long  "  whe — e — e — w  !"  for  this  was  rather  more  than  even 
he  was  accustomed  to,  in  the  way  of  masquerades.  His  eye 
was  on  the  two  gentlemen  as  they  walked  aft  together,  and 
alone,  when  he  felt  a  touch  upon  his  arm.  It  was  the  little 
hand  of  Eve,  between  whom  and  the  old  seaman  there  existed 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  497 

H  good  deal  of  trifling,  blended  with  the  most  entire  good-will. 
The  young  lady  laughed  with  her  sweet  eyes,  shook  her  fair 
curls,  and  said  mockingly — 

"  Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Blunt ;  Mr.  Blunt,  Mr.  Sharp  !" 

"  And  were  you  in  the  secret  all  this  time,  my  dear  young 
lady  ?" 

"  Every  minute  of  it ;  from  the  buoys  of  Portsmouth  to  this 
very  spot." 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  to  introduce  my  passengers  all  over  again !" 

"  Certainly ;  and  I  would  recommend  that  each  should  show 
a  certificate  of  baptism,  or  a  passport,  before  you  announce  his 
or  her  name." 

"  You  are,  at  least,  the  beautiful  Miss  Effingham,  my  dear 
young  lady  ?" 

"  I'll  not  vouch  for  that,  even,"  said  Eve,  blushing  and 
laughing. 

"  That  is  Mr.  John  Effingham,  I  hope  !" 

"  For  that  I  can  vouch.  There  are  not  two  cousin  Jacks  on 
earth." 

"  I  wish  I  knew  what  the  other  business  of  this  gentleman 
is  !  He  seems  amicably  disposed,  except  as  regards  Mr.  Blunt. 
They  looked  coldly  and  suspiciously  at  each  other." 

Eve  thought  so  too,  and  she  lost  all  her  desire  for  pleasantry. 
Just  at  this  moment  Captain  Ducie  quitted  his  companion,  both 
touching  their  hats  distantly,  and  returned  to  the  group  he  had 
so  unceremoniously  left  a  few  minutes  before. 

"  I  believe,  Captain  Truck,  you  now  know  my  errand,"  he 
said,  "  and  can  say  whether  you-  will  consent  to  my  examining 
the  person  whom  you  have  mentioned  ?" 

"  I  know  one  of  your  errands,  sir ;  you  spoke  of  having  two" 

"  Both  will  find  their  completion  in  this  ship,  with  your 
permission." 

"  Permission  !  That  sounds  well,  at  least,  my  dear  young 
lady.  Permit  me  to  inquire,  Captain  Ducie,  has  either  of  your 
errands  the  flavor  of  tobacco  about  it  ?" 


498  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

The  young  man  looked  surprised,  and  he  began  to  suspect 
another  mystification. 

"  The  question  is  so  singular,  that  it  is  not  very  intelligible." 

"  I  wish  to  know,  Captain  Ducie,  if  you  have  any  thing  to 
say  to  this  ship  in  the  way  of  smuggling  ?" 

"  Certainly  not.  I  am  not  a  custom-house  officer,  sir,  nor  on 
the  revenue  duty ;  and  I  had  supposed  this  vessel  a  regular 
packet,  whose  interest  is  too  plain  to  enter  into  such  a  pur 
suit." 

"You  have  supposed  nothing  but  the  truth,  sir;  though 
we  cannot  always  answer  for  the  honesty  or  discretion  of  our 
people.  A  single  pound  of  tobacco  might  forfeit  this  noble 
ship ;  and,  observing  the  perseverance  with  which  you  have 
chased  me,  I  was  afraid  all  was  not  right  with  the  excise." 

u  You  have  had  a  needless  alarm  then,  for  my  two  objects  in 
coming  to  America  are  completely  answered  by  meeting  with 
Mr.  Powis  and  the  Mr.  Sandon,  who,  I  have  been  given  to  un 
derstand,  is  in  his  stateroom  below." 

The  party  looked  at  each  other,  but  nothing  was  said. 

"  Such  being  the  facts,  Captain  Ducie,  I  beg  to  offer  you 
every  facility,  so  for  as  the  hospitality  of  my  ship  is  con 
cerned." 

"  You  will  permit  us  to  have  an  interview  with  Mr.  San 
don  ?" 

"  Beyond  a  doubt.  I  see,  sir,  you  have  read  Vattel,  and  un 
derstand  the  rights  of  neutrals,  or  of  independent  nations.  As 
this  interview  most  probably  will  be  interesting,  you  may  de 
sire  to  have  it  held  in  private,  and  a  stateroom  will  be  too 
small  for  the  purpose.  My  dear  young  lady,  will  you  have  the 
complaisance  to  lend  us  your  cabin  for  half  an  hour  ?" 

Eve  bowed  assent,  and  Captain  Truck  then  invited  the  two 
Englishmen  below. 

"  My  presence  at  this  interview  is  of  little  moment,"  observed 
Captain  Ducie  ;  "  Mr.  Green  is  master  of  the  whole  affair,  and 
I  have  a  matter  of  importance  to  arrange  with  Mr.  Powis.  Tf 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  499 

one  or  two  of  you  gentlemen  will  have  the  kindness  to  be 
present,  and  witnesses  of  what  passes  between  Mr.  Sandon  and 
Mr.  Green,  it  would  be  a  great  favor.  Templemore,  I  may 
claim  this  of  you  ?" 

"  With  all  my  heart,  though  it  is  an  unpleasant  office  to  see 
guilt  exposed.  Should  I  presume  too  much  by  asking  Mr. 
John  Effingbam  to  be  of  our  party  ?" 

"  I  was  about  to  make  the  same  request,"  put  in  the  captain. 
"  We  shall  then  be  two  Englishmen  and  two  Yankees, — if  Mr. 
John  Effingham  will  allow  me  so  to  style  him  ?" 

"Until  we  get  within  the  Hook,  Captain  Truck,  I  am  a 
Yankee ;  once  in  the  country,  I  belong  to  the  Middle  States,  if 
you  will  allow  me  the  favor  to  choose." 

The  last  speaker  was  stopped  by  a  nudge  from  Captain 
Truck,  who  seized  an  opportunity  to  whisper — 

"  Make  no  such  distinction  between  outside  and  inside,  I  beg 
of  you,  my  dear  sir.  I  hold  that  the  ship  is,  at  this  identical 
moment,  in  the  United  States  of  America  in  a  positive  sense,  as 
well  as  by  a  legal  fiction ;  and  I  think  Vattel  will  bear  me 
out  in  it." 

"Let  it  pass  for  that,  then.  I  will  be  present  at  your  inter 
view  with  the  fugitive.  If  the  case  is  not  clear  against  him,  he 
shall  be  protected." 

Things  were  now  soon  arranged ;  it  being  decided  that  Mr. 
Green,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  English  offices,  accompa 
nied  by  the  gentlemen  just  named,  should  descend  to  the  cabin 
of  Miss  Effingham,  in  order  to  receive  the  delinquent ;  while 
Captain  Ducie  should  have  his  interview  with  Paul  Powis  in 
the  stateroom  of  the  latter. 

The  first  party  went  below  immediately ;  but  Captain  Ducie 
remained  on  deck  a  minute  or  two  to  give  an  order  to  the  mid 
shipman  of  his  boat,  who  immediately  quitted  the  Montauk, 
and  pulled  to  the  corvette.  During  this  brief  delay  Paul  ap 
proached  the  ladies,  to  whom  he  spoke  with  a  forced  indiffer 
ence,  though  it  was  not  possible  to  avoid  seeing  his  concern. 


500  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

His  servant,  too,  was  observed  watching  his  movements  with 
great  interest ;  and  when  the  two  gentlemen  went  below  in 
company,  the  man  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  actually  held  up 
his  hands,  as  one  is  wont  to  do  at  the  occurrence  of  any  sur 
prising  or  distressing  circumstance. 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  501 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

"  Norfolk,  for  thee  remains  a  heavy  doom, 
"Which  I  with  some  unwillingness  pronounce." 

SUAKSPEARE. 

THE  history  of  the  unfortunate  young  man,  who,  after  es 
caping  all  the  hazards  and  adventures  of  the  passage,  was  now 
so  unexpectedly  overtaken  as  he  was  about  to  reach  what  he 
fancied  an  asylum,  was  no  more  than  one  of  those  common 
place  tissue  of  events  that  lead,  through  vanity  and  weakness, 
to  crime.  His  father  had  held  an  office  under  the  British  gov 
ernment.  Marrying  late,  and  leaving  a  son  and  daughter  just 
issuing  into  life  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  the  situation  he  had 
himself  filled  had  been  given  to  the  first,  out  of  respect  to  the 
unwearied  toil  of  a  faithful  servant. 

The  young  man  was  one  of  those  who,  without  principles  or 
high  motives,  live  only  for  vanity.  Of  prominent  vices  he  had 
none,  for  there  were  no  salient  points  in  his  character  on  which 
to  hang  any  quality  of  sufficient  boldness  to  encourage  crime 
of  that  nature.  Perhaps  he  owed  his  ruin  to  the  circumstance 
that  he  had  a  tolerable  person,  and  was  six  feet  high,  as  much 
as  to  any  one  other  thing.  His  father  had  been  a  short,  solid, 
square-built  little  man,  whose  ambition  never  towered  above 
his  stature,  and  who,  having  entered  fairly  on  the  path  of  in 
dustry  and  integrity  early  in  life,  had  sedulously  persevered  in 
it  to  the  end.  Not  so  with  the  son.  He  read  so  much  about 
aristocratic  stature,  aristocratic  ears,  aristocratic  hands,  aristo 
cratic  feet,  and  aristocratic  air,  that  he  was  delighted  to  find 
that  in  all  these  high  qualities  he  was  not  easily  to  be  distin- 


502  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

guished  from  most  of  the  young  men  of  rank  he  occasionally 
saw  riding  in  the  parks  or  met  in  the  streets ;  and,  though  he 
very  well  knew  he  was  not  a  lord,  he  began  to  fancy  it  a  hap 
piness  to  be  thought  one  by  strangers,  for  an  hour  or  two  in 
a  week. 

His  passion  for  trifles  and  toys  was  inherent,  and  it  had  been 
increased  by  reading  two  or  three  caricatures  of  fashionable 
men  in  the  novels  of  the  day,  until  his  happiness  was  chiefly 
centered  in  its  indulgence.  This  was  an  expensive  foible  ;  and 
its  gratification  ere  long  exhausted  his  legitimate  means.  One 
or  two  trifling  and  undetected  peculations  favored  his  folly,  un 
til  a  large  sum  happening  to  lie  at  his  sole  mercy  for  a  week  or 
two,  he  made  such  an  inroad  on  it  as  compelled  a  flight.  Hav 
ing  made  up  his  mind  to  quit  England,  he  thought  it  would  be 
as  easy  to  escape  with  forty  thousand  pounds  as  with  the  few 
hundreds  he  had  already  appropriated  to  himself.  This  capital 
mistake  was  the  cause  of  his  destruction ;  for  the  magnitude 
of  the  sum  induced  the  government  to  take  unusual  steps  to 
recover  it,  and  was  the  true  cause  of  its  having  dispatched  the 
cruiser  in  chase  of  the  Montauk. 

The  Mr.  Green  who  had  been  sent  to  identify  the  fugitive, 
was  a  cold,  methodical  man,  every  way  resembling  the  delin 
quent's  father,  whose  office-companion  he  had  been,  and  in 
whose  track  of  undeviating  attention  to  business  and  negative 
honesty  he  had  faithfully  followed.  He  felt  the  peculation,  or 
robbery,  for  it  scarce  deserved  a  milder  term,  to  be  a  reproach 
on  the  corps  to  which  he  belonged,  besides  leaving  a  stigrna  on 
the  name  of  one  to  whom  he  had  himself  looked  up  as  to  a 
model  for  his  own  imitation  and  government.  It  will  readily 
be  supposed,  therefore,  that  this  person  was  not  prepared  to 
meet  the  delinquent  in  a  very  forgiving  mood. 

"  Saunders,"  said  Captain  Truck  in  the  stern  tone  with  which 
he  often  hailed  a-top,  and  which  implied  that  instant  obedience 
was  a  condition  of  his  forbearance,  "  go  to  the  stateroom  of 
the  person  who  has  called  himself  Sir  George  Templemore — 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  503 

give  him  my  compliments — be  very  particular,  Mr.  Saunders — 
and  say  Captain  Truck's  compliments,  and  then  tell  him  I  ex 
pect  the  honor  of  his  company  in  this  cabin — the  honor  of  his 
company,  remember,  in  this  cabin.  If  that  don't  bring  him 
out  of  his  stateroom,  I'll  contrive  something  that  shall." 

The  steward  turned  up  the  white  of  his  eyes,  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  and  proceeded  forthwith  on  the  errand.  He  found 
time,  however,  to  stop  in  the  pantry,  and  to  inform  Toast  that 
their  suspicions  were  at  least  in  part  true. 

"This  elucidates  the  circumstance  of  his  having  no  attendant 
with  him,  like  other  gentlemen  on  board,  and  a  wariety  of  other 
incidents,  that  much  needed  dewelopment.  Mr.  Blunt,  I  do 
collect  from  a  few  hints  on  deck,  turns  out  to  be  a  Mr.  Powis, 
a  much  genteeler  name ;  and  as  they  spoke  to  some  one  in  the 
ladies'  cabin  as  '  Sir  George,'  I  should  not  be  overcome  with 
astonishment  should  Mr.  Sharp  actually  ewentuate  as  the  real 
baronite." 

There  was  time  for  no  more,  and  Saunders  proceeded  to  sum 
mon  the  delinquent. 

"  This  is  the  most  unpleasant  part  of  the  duty  of  a  packet- 
master  between  England  and  America,"  continued  Captain 
Truck,  as  soon  as  Saunders  was  out  of  sight.  "  Scarce  a  ship 
sails  that  it  has  not  some  runaway  or  other,  either  in  the  steer 
age  or  in  the  cabins,  and  we  are  often  called  on  to  aid  the  civil 
authorities  on  both  sides  of  the  water." 

"  America  seems  to  be  a  favorite  country  with  our  English 
rogues,"  observed  the  office-man,  drily.  "  This  is  the  third 
that  has  gone  from  our  own  department  within  as  many 
years." 

"  Your  department  appears  to  be  fruitful  of  such  characters, 
sir,"  returned  Captain  Truck  pretty  much  in  the  spirit  in  which 
the  first  remark  had  been  given. 

Mr.  Green  was  as  thorough-going  an  Englishman  as  any  of 
his  class  in  the  island.  Methodical,  plodding,  industrious,  and 
regular  in  all  his  habits,  he  was  honest  by  rule,  and  had  no 


504  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

leisure  or  inclination  for  any  other  opinions  than  those  which 
were  obtained  with  the  smallest  effort.  In  consequence  of  the 
limited  sphere  in  which  he  dwelt,  in  a  moral  sense  at  least,  he 
was  a  mass  of  the  prejudices  that  were  most  prevalent  at  the 
period  when  he  first  obtained  his  notions.  His  hatred  of  France 
was  unconquerable,  for  he  had  early  learned  to  consider  her  as 
the  fast  enemy  of  England  ;  and  as  to  America,  he  deemed  her 
to  be  the  general  asylum  of  all  the  rogues  of  his  own  country — 
the  possession  of  a  people  who  had  rebelled  against  their  king, 
because  the  restraints  of  law  were  inherently  disagreeable  to 
them.  This  opinion  he  had  no  more  wish  to  proclaim  than  he 
felt  a  desire  to  go  up  and  down  declaring  that  Satan  was  the 
father  of  sin ;  but  the  fact  in  the  one  case  was  just  as  well  es 
tablished  in  his  mind  as  in  the  other.  If  he  occasionally  be 
trayed  the  existence  of  these  sentiments,  it  was  as  a  man  coughs ; 
not  because  he  particularly  wishes  to  cough,  but  because  he  can 
not  help  it.  Finding  the  subject  so  naturally  introduced,  there 
fore,  it  is  no  wonder  if  some  of  his  peculiar  notions  escaped  him 
in  the  short  dialogue  that  followed. 

"  We  have  our  share  of  bad  men,  I  presume,  sir,"  he  re 
joined  to  the  thrust  of  Captain  Truck  ;  "  but  the  thing  that  has 
most  attracted  comment  with  us,  is  the  fact  that  they  all  go  to 
America." 

"  And  we  receive  our  share  of  rogues,  I  presume,  sir ;  and  it 
is  the  subject  of  animadversion  with  us  that  they  all  come  from 
England." 

Mr.  Green  did  not  feel  the  force  of  this  retort ;  but  he  wiped 
his  spectacles  as  he  quietly  composed  his  features  into  a  look  of 
dignified  gravity. 

"  Some  of  your  most  considerable  men  in  America,  I  believe, 
sir,"  he  continued, "  have  been  Englishmen,  who  preferred  a  res 
idence  in  the  colonies  to  a  residence  at  home." 

"  I  never  heard  of  them,"  returned  the  captain ;  "  will  you 
have  the  goodness  to  name  just  one  ?" 

"Why,  to  begin,  there  was  your  Washington.     I  have  often 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  505 

heard  my  father  say  he  went  to  school  with  him  in  Warwick 
shire,  and  that  he  was  thought  any  thing  but  very  clever,  too, 
while  he  lived  in  England." 

"  You  perceive,  then,  that  we  made  something  of  him  when 
we  got  him  over  on  this  side ;  for  he  turned  out  in  the  end  to 
be  a  very  decent  and  respectable  sort  of  person.  Judging  from 
the  language  of  some  of  your  prints,  sir,  I  should  suppose  that 
King  William  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  a  respectable 
man  in  your  country  ?" 

Although  startled  to  hear  his  sovereign  spoken  of  in  this 
irreverent  manner,  Mr.  Green  answered  promptly, — 

"  He  is  a  king,  sir,  and  comports  himself  as  a  king." 

"  And  all  the  better,  I  dare  say,  for  the  thrashing  he  got  when 
a  youngster,  from  the  Vermont  tailor." 

Now  Captain  Truck  quite  as  religiously  believed  in  this 
vulgar  tale  concerning  the  prince  in  question,  as  Mr.  Green  be 
lieved  that  Washington  had  commenced  his  career  as  one  no 
better  than  he  should  be,  or  as  implicitly  as  Mr.  Steadfast  Dodge 
gave  credit  to  the  ridiculous  history  of  the  schoolmaster  of  Had- 
donfield ;  all  three  of  the  legends  belonging  to  the  same  high 
class  of  historical  truths. 

Sir  George  Templemore  looked  with  surprise  at  John  Erring- 
ham,  who  gravely  remarked, — 

"Elegant  extracts,  sir,  from  the  vulgar  rumors  of  two  great 
nations.  We  deal  largely  in  these  legends,  and  you  are  not 
quite  guiltless  of  them.  I  dare  say,  now,  if  you  would  be  frank, 
that  you  yourself  have  not  always  been  deaf  to  the  reports 
against  America." 

"  You  surely  do  not  imagine  that  I  am  so  ignorant  of  the 
career  of  Washington?" 

"  Of  that  I  fully  acquit  you  ;  nor  do  /  exactly  suppose  that 
your  present  monarch  was  flogged  by  a  tailor  in  Vermont,  or 
that  Louis  Philippe  kept  school  in  New  Jersey.  Our  position 
in  the  world  raises  us  beyond  these  elegances ;  but  do  you 
not  fancy  some  hard  things  of  America,  more  especially  con- 

22 


506  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

cerning  her  disposition  to  harbor  rogues,  if  they  come  with  full 
pockets." 

The  baronet  laughed,  but  he  colored.  He  wished  to  be 
liberal,  for  he  well  knew  that  liberality  distinguishes  the  man 
of  the  world,  and  was  an  indispensable  requisite  for  a  gentle 
man  ;  but  it  is  very  hard  for  an  Englishman  to  manifest  true 
liberality  towards  the  ci-devant  colonies,  and  this  he  felt  in  the 
whole  of  his  moral  system,  notwithstanding  every  effort  to  the 
contrary. 

"  I  will  confess  that  case  of  Stepheusou  made  an  unfavorable 
impression  in  England,"  he  said  with  some  reluctance. 

"  You  mean  the  absconding  member  of  Parliament,"  returned 
John  Effingham,  with  emphasis  on  the  four  last  words.  "You 
cannot  mean  to  reproach  us  with  his  selection  of  a  place  of 
refuge ;  for  he  was  picked  up  at  sea  by  a  foreign  ship  that  was 
accidentally  bound  to  America." 

"  Certainly  not  with  that  circumstance,  which,  as  you  say, 
was  purely  an  accident.  But  was  there  not  something  extraor 
dinary  in  his  liberation  from  arrest  ?" 

"Sir  George  Templemore,  there  are  few  Englishmen  with 
whom  I  would  dwell  an  instant  on  this  subject,"  said  John 
Effingham  gravely ;  "  but  you  are  one  of  those  who  have  taught 
me  to  respect  you,  and  I  feel  a  strong  regret  whenever  I  trace 
any  of  these  mistaken  notions  in  a  man  of  your  really  generous 
disposition.  A  moment's  reflection  will  show  you  that  no  civilized 
society  could  exist  with  the  disposition  you  hint  at ;  and  as  for 
the  particular  case  you  have  mentioned,  the  man  did  not  bring 
money  of  any  moment  with  him,  and  was  liberated  from  arrest 
on  a  principle  common  to  all  law,  where  law  is  stronger  than 
political  power,  and  which  principle  we  derive  directly  from 
Great  Britain.  Depend  on  it,  so  far  from  there  being  a 
desire  to  receive  rich  rogues  in  America  from  other  countries, 
there  is  a  growing  indisposition  to  receive  emigrants  at  all; 
for  their  number  is  getting  to  be  inconvenient  to  the  native 
population.1' 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  507 

"  Why  does  not  America  pass  reciprocal  laws  with  us,  then, 
for  the  mutual  delivery  of  criminals." 

"One  insuperable  objection  to  such  a  reciprocity  arises  from 
the  nature  of  our  government,  as  a  confederation,  since  there  is 
no  identity  in  our  own  criminal  jurisprudence  :  but  a  chief 
reason  is  the  exceedingly  artificial  condition  of  your  society, 
which  is  the  very  opposite  of  our  own,  and  indisposes  the  Ameri 
can  to  visit  trifling  crimes  with  so  heavy  punishment.  The 
American,  who  has  a  voice  in  this  matter,  you  will  remember, 
is  not  prepared  to  hang  a  half-starved  wretch  for  a  theft,  or  to 
send  a  man  to  Botany  Bay  for  poaching.  The  facility  with  which 
men  obtain  a  livelihood  in  America  has  hitherto  converted  most 
rogues  into  comparatively  honest  men  when  they  get  there  ; 
though  I  think  the  day  is  near,  now  your  own  police  is  so  much 
improved,  when  we  shall  find  it  necessary  in  self-defence  to 
change  our  policy.  The  common  language,  as  I  am  told,  in 
duces  many  knaves,  who  now  find  England  too  hot  to  hold 
them,  to  migrate  to  America." 

"  Captain  Ducie  "is  anxious  to  know  whether  Mr.  Truck  will 
quietly  permit  this  criminal  to  be  transferred  to  the  Foam." 

"  I  do  not  think  he  will  permit  it  at  all  without  being  over 
powered,  if  the  request  be  urged  in  any  manner  as  a  right.  In 
that  case,  he  will  very  properly  think  that  the  maintenance  of 
his  national  character  is  of  more  importance  than  the  escape  of  a 
dozen  rogues.  You  may  put  a  harsh  construction  on  his  course; 
but  /  shall  think  him  right  in  resisting  an  unjust  and  an  illegal 
invasion  of  his  rights.  I  had  thought  Captain  Ducie,  however, 
more  peaceably  disposed  from  what  has  passed." 

"  Perhaps  I  have  expressed  myself  too  strongly.  I  know  he 
would  wish  to  take  back  the  criminal ;  but  I  scarce  think  that 
he  meditates  more  than  persuasion.  Ducie  is  a  fine  fellow,  and 
every  way  a  gentleman." 

"He  appears  to  have  found  an  acquaintance  in  our  young 
friend,  Powis." 

"  The  meeting  between  these  two  gentlemen  has  surprised 


508  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

me,  for  it  can  scarcely  be  termed  amicable :  and  yet  it  seems  to 
occupy  more  of  Ducie's  thoughts  just  now  than  the  affair  of  the 
runaway." 

Both  now  became  silent  and  thoughtful,  for  John  Effingham 
had  too  many  unpleasant  suspicions  to  wish  to  speak,  and  the 
baronet  was  too  generous  to  suggest  a  doubt  concerning  one 
whom  he  felt  to  be  his  rival,  and  whom,  in  truth,  he  had  begun 
sincerely  to  respect,  as  well  as  to  like.  In  the  mean  time,  a 
discussion,  which  had  gradually  been  growing  more  dogged  and 
sullen  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Green,  and  more  biting  and  caustic  on 
that  of  Captain  Truck,  was  suddenly  terminated  by  the  reluc 
tant  and  tardy  appearance  of  Mr.  Sandon. 

"  Guilt,  that  powerful  vindicator  of  the  justice  of  Providence, 
as  it  proves  the  existence  of  the  inward  monitor,  conscience, 
was  painfully  impressed  on  a  countenance  that,  in  general,  ex 
pressed  little  beyond  a  vacant  vanity.  Although  of  a  tall  and 
athletic  person,  his  limbs  trembled  in  a  way  to  refuse  to  support 
him,  and  when  he  saw  the  well-known  face  of  Mr.  Green,  the 
unhappy  young  man  sank  into  a  seat,  from  a  real  inability  to 
stand.  The  other  regarded  him  sternly  through  his  spectacles, 
for  more  than  a  minute. 

"This  is  a  melancholy  picture,  Henry  Sandon,"  he  at  length 
said.  "  I  am,  at  least,  glad  that  you  do  not  affect  to  brazen  out 
your  crime,  but  that  you  show  a  proper  sense  of  its  enormity. 
What  would  your  upright  and  pains-taking  father  have  said, 
had  he  lived  to  see  his  only  son  in  this  situation  ?" 

"  He  is  dead  !"  returned  the  young  man,  hoarsely.  "  He  is 
dead,  and  never  can  know  any  thing  about  it." 

The  unhappy  delinquent  experienced  a  sense  of  frightful 
pleasure  as  he  uttered  these  words. 

"  It  is  true,  he  is  dead ;  but  there  are  others  to  suffer  by  your 
misconduct.  Your  innocent  sister  is  living,  and  feels  all  your 
disgrace." 

"She  will  marry  Jones,  and  forget  it  all.  I  gave  her  a 
thousand  pounds,  and  she  is  married  before  this." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  509 

"In  that  you  are  mistaken.  She  has  returned  the  money, 
for  she  is,  indeed,  John  Sandon's  daughter,  and  Mr.  Jones  re 
fuses  to  marry  the  sister  of  a  thief." 

The  delinquent  was  vain  and  unreflecting,  rather  than  selfish, 
and  he  had  a  natural  attachment  to  his  sister,  the  only  other 
child  of  his  parents.  The  blow,  therefore,  fell  on  his  conscience 
with  double  force,  coming  from  this  quarter. 

"Julia  can  compel  him  to  marry  her,"  said  the  startled 
brother  ;  "  he  is  bound  by  a  solemn  engagement,  and  the  law 
will  protect  her." 

"  No  law  can  make  a  man  marry  against  his  will,  and  your 
poor  unfortunate  sister  is  too  tender  of  your  feelings,  whatever 
you  may  have  been  of  hers,  to  wish  to  give  Mr.  Jones  an  op 
portunity  of  defending  himself  by  exposing  your  crime.  But 
this  is  wasting  words,  Mr.  Sandon,  for  I  am  wanted  in  the 
office,  where  I  have  left  things  in  the  hands  of  an  inexperienced 
substitute.  Of  course  you  are  not  prepared  to  defend  an  act 
that  your  conscience  must  tell  you  is  inexcusable." 

"  I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Green,  I  have  been  a  little  thoughtless ;  or, 
perhaps,  it  would  be  better  to  say,  unlucky." 

Mr.  Sandon  had  fallen  into  the  general  and  delusive  mistake 
of  those  who  err,  in  supposing  himself  unfortunate  rather  than 
criminal.  With  an  ingenuity  that,  exercised  in  a  better  cause, 
would  have  made  him  a  respectable  man,  he  had  been  endeav 
oring  to  excuse  his  crime  to  himself,  on  various  pleas  of  neces 
sity,  and  he  had  even  got  at  last  to  justify  his  act,  by  fancying 
that  some  trifling  wrong  he  had  received,  or  which  he  fancied 
he  had  received,  in  the  settlement  of  his  own  private  account, 
in  some  measure  excused  his  fraud,  although  his  own  denied 
claim  amounted  merely  to  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds,  and  that 
which  he  had  taken  was  so  large.  It  was  under  the  influence 
of  such  feelings  that  he  made  the  answer  just  given. 

"  A  little  thoughtless !  unlucky  !  And  is  this  the  way,  Henry 
Sandon,  that  you  name  a  crime  that  might  almost  raise  your 
upright  father  from  his  grave  ?  But  I  will  speak  no  more  of 


510  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

feelings  that  you  do  not  seem  to  understand.  You  confess  to 
have  taken  forty  thousand  pounds  of  the  public  money,  to  which 
you  have  no  right  or  claim  ?" 

"  I  certainly  have  in  my  hands  some  money,  which  I  do  not 
deny  belongs  to  government." 

"  It  is  well ;  and  here  is  my  authority  to  receive  it  from  you. 
Gentlemen,  will  you  have  the  kindness  to  see  that  my  powers 
are  regular  and  authentic  ?" 

John  Effingham  and  others  cast  their  eyes  over  the  papers, 
which  seemed  to  be  in  rule,  and  they  said  as  much. 

"  Now,  sir,"  resumed  Mr.  Green,  "  in  the  first  place,  I  demand 
the  bills  you  received  in  London  for  this  money,  and  your  reg 
ular  endorsement  in  my  favor." 

The  culprit  appeared  to  have  made  up  his  mind  to  this  de 
mand,  and,  with  the  same  recklessness  with  which  he  had  ap 
propriated  the  money  to  his  own  use,  he  was  now  ready  to 
restore  it,  without  proposing  a  condition  for  his  own  safety. 
The  bills  were  in  his  pocket,  and  seating  himself  at  a  table,  he 
made  the  required  endorsement,  and  handed  them  to  Mr.  Green. 

"  Here  are  bills  for  thirty-eight  thousand  pounds,"  said  that 
methodical  person,  after  he  had  examined  the  drafts,  one  by 
one,  and  counted  their  amount ;  "  and  you  are  known  to  have 
taken  forty  thousand.  I  demand  the  remainder." 

"  Would  you  leave  me  in  a  strange  country,  penniless  ?"  ex 
claimed  the  culprit,  in  a  tone  of  reproach. 

"  Strange  country  !  penniless !"  repeated  Mr.  Green,  looking 
over  his  spectacles,  first  at  Mr.  Truck,  and  then  at  Mr.  Sandon. 
"That  to  which  you  have  no  claim  must  be  restored,  though  it 
strip  you  to  the  skin.  Every  pound  you  have  belongs  to  the 
public,  and  to  no  one  else." 

"  Your  pardon,  Mr.  Green,  and  green  enough  you  are,  if  you 
lay  down  that  doctrine,"  interrupted  Captain  Truck,  "  in  which 
neither  Vattel,  nor  the  revised  statutes,  will  bear  you  out.  A 
passenger  cannot  remove  his  effects  from  a  ship,  until  his  pas 
sage  be  first  paid." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  511 

"  That,  sir,  I  dispute,  in  a  question  affecting  the  king's  rev 
enues.  The  claims  of  government  precede  all  others,  and  the 
money  that  has  once  belonged  to  the  crown,  and  which  has  not 
been  regularly  paid  away  by  the  crown,  is  the  crown's  still." 

"Crowns  and  coronations!  Perhaps,  Master  Green,  you 
think  you  are  in  Somerset  House  at  this  present  speaking?" 

Now  Mr.  Green  was  so  completely  a  star  of  a  confined  orbit, 
that  his  ideas  seldom  described  a  tangent  to  their  ordinary 
revolutions.  He  was  so  much  accustomed  to  hear  of  England 
ruling  colonies,  the  East  and  the  West,  Canada,  the  Cape,  and 
New  South  Wales,  that  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  for  him  to 
conceive  himself  to  be  without  the  influence  of  the  British  laws. 
Had  he  quitted  home  with  the  intention  to  emigrate,  or  even 
to  travel,  it  is  probable  that  his  mind  would  have  kept  a  more 
equal  pace  with  his  body ;  but  summoned  in  haste  from  his  desk, 
and  with  the  office  spectacles  on  his  nose,  it  is  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  wonder  that  he  hardly  realized  the  truths  of  his  pres 
ent  situation.  The  man-of-war,  in  which  every  thing  was  His 
Majesty's,  sustained  this  feeling,  and  it  was  too  sudden  a  change 
to  expect  such  a  man  to  abandon  all  his  most  cherished  notions 
at  a  moment's  warning.  The  irreverent  exclamation  of  Cap 
tain  Truck  shocked  him,  and  he  did  not  fail  to  show  as  much 
by  the  disgust  pictured  in  his  countenance. 

"  I  am  in  one  of  His  Majesty's  packets,  sir,  I  presume,  where, 
you  will  permit  me  to  say,  a  greater  deference  for  the  high 
ceremonies  of  the  kingdom  ought  to  be  found." 

"  This  would  make  even  old  Joe  Bunk  laugh.  You  are  in  a 
New  York  liner,  sir,  over  which  no  majesty  has  any  control, 
but  their  majesties  John  Griswold  &  Co.  Why,  my  good  sir, 
the  sea  has  unsettled  your  brain  !" 

Now,  Mr.  Green  did  know  that  the  United  States  of  America 
had  obtained  their  independence,  but  the  whole  proceeding  was 
so  mixed  up  with  rebellion,  and  a  French  alliance,  in  his  mind, 
that  he  always  doubted  whether  the  new  republic  had  a  legal 
existence  at  all,  and  he  had  been  heard  to  express  his  surprise 


512  HO  ME  WARD      BOUND. 

that  the  twelve  judges  had  not  long  since  decided  this  state  of 
tilings  to  be  unconstitutional,  and  overturned  the  American 
government  by  mandamus.  His  disgust  increased,  accordingly, 
as  Captain  Truck's  irreverence  manifested  itself  in  stronger 
terms,  and  there  was  great  danger  that  the  harmony,  which 
had  hitherto  prevailed  between  the  parties,  would  be  brought 
to  a  violent  termination. 

"  The  respect  for  the  crown  in  a  truly  loyal  subject,  sir,"  Mr. 
Green  returned,  sharply,  "  is  not  to  be  unsettled  by  the  sea  ; 
not  in  my  case,  at  least,  whatever  it  might  have  been  in  your 
own." 

"  My  own  !  why,  the  devil,  sir,  do  you  take  me  for  a  subject?" 

"  A  truant  one,  I  fear,  though  you  may  have  been  born  in 
London  itself." 

"Why,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Captain  Truck,  taking  the  other 
by  a  button,  as  if  he  pitied  his  hallucination,  "  you  don't  breed 
such  men  in  London.  I  came  from  the  river,  which  never  had 
a  subject  in  it,  or  any  other  majesty  than  that  of  the  Saybrook 
Platform.  I  begin  to  understand  you,  at  last  :  you  are  one  of 
those  well-meaning  men  who  fancy  the  earth  but  a  casing  to 
the  island  of  Great  Britain.  Well,  I  suppose  it  is  more  the 
fault  of  your  education  than  of  your  nature,  and  one  must  over 
look  the  mistake.  May  I  ask  what  is  your  farther  wish,  in 
reference  to  this  unhappy  young  man  ?" 

"  He  must  refund  every  pound  of  the  public  money  that  re 
mains  in  his  possession." 

"  That  is  just,  and  I  say,  yea." 

"  And  all  who  have  received  from  him  any  portion  of 
this  money,  under  whatever  pretences,  must  restore  it  to  the 
crown." 

"  My  good  sir,  you  can  have  no  notion  of  the  quantity  of 
champagne  and  other  good  things  this  unfortunate  young  man 
has  consumed  in  this  ship.  Although  but  a  sham  baronet,  he 
has  fared  like  a  real  lord ;  and  you  cannot  have  the  heart  to 
exact  from  the  owners  the  keeping  of  your  rogues." 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  513 

"  Government  makes  no  distinction,  sir,  and  always  claims  its 
own." 

"Nay,  Mr.  Green,"  interrupted  Sir  George  Templemore,  "I 
much  question  if  government  would  assert  a  right  to  money 
that  a  peculator  or  a  defaulter  fairly  spends,  even  in  England ; 
much  less  does  it  seem  to  me  it  can  pretend  to  the  few  pounds 
that  Captain  Truck  has  lawfully  earned." 

"  The  money  has  not  been  lawfully  earned,  sir.  It  is  con 
trary  to  law  to  assist  a  felon  to  quit  the  kingdom,  and  I  am  not 
certain  there  are  no  penalties  for  that  act  alone ;  and  as  for  the 
public  money,  it  can  never  legally  quit  the  treasury  without  the 
proper  office  forms." 

"My  dear  Sir  George,"  put  in  the  captain,  "leave  me  to  set 
tle  this  with  Mr.  Green,  who,  no  doubt,  is  authorized  to  give  a 
receipt  in  full.  What  is  to  be  done  with  the  delinquent,  sir, 
now  that  you  are  in  possession  of  his  money  ?" 

"  Of  course  he  will  be  carried  back  in  the  Foam,  and  I  mourn 
to  be  compelled  to  say,  that  he  must  be  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
law.1' 

"  What,  with  or  without  my  permission  ?" 

Mr.  Green  stared,  for  his  mind  was  precisely  one  of  those 
which  would  conceive  it  to  be  a  high  act  of  audacity  in  a 
ci-devant  colonist  to  claim  the  rights  of  an  old  country,  even 
did  he  really  understand  the  legality  and  completeness  of  the 
separation. 

"  He  has  committed  forgery,  sir,  to  conceal  his  peculation. 
It  is  an  awful  crime;  but  they  that  commit  it  cannot  hope  to 
escape  the  consequences." 

"Miserable  impostor!  is  this  true?"  Captain  Truck  sternly 
demanded  of  the  trembling  culprit. 

"He  calls  an  oversight  forgery,  sir,"  returned  the  latter, 
huskily.  "  I  have  done  nothing  to  affect  my  life  or  liberty." 

At  this  moment  Captain  Ducie,  accompanied  by  Paul  Powis, 
entered  the  cabin,  their  faces  flushed,  and  their  manner  to  each 
other  a  little  disturbed,  though  it  was  formally  courteous.  At 

22* 


514  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

the  same  instant,  Mr.  Dodge,  who  had  been  dying  to  be  pres 
ent  at  the  secret  conference,  watched  his  opportunity  to  slip 
in  also. 

"I  am  glad  you  have  come,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Green,  "for  here 
may  be  occasion  for  the  services  of  his  Majesty's  officers.  Mr. 
Sandon  has  given  up  these  bills,  but  two  thousand  pounds  re 
main  unaccounted  for,  and  I  have  traced  thirty-five,  quite 
clearly,  to  the  master  of  this  ship,  who  has  received  it  in  the 
way  of  passage-money." 

"Yes,  sir,  the  fact  is  as  plain  as  the  highlands  of  Navesink 
from  the  deck,"  drily  added  Captain  Truck. 

"  One  thousand  of  this  money  has  been  returned  by  the  de 
faulter's  sister,"  observed  Captain  Ducie. 

"  Very  true,  sir  ;  I  had  forgotten  to  give  him  credit  for  that." 

"  The  remainder  has  probably  been  wasted  in  those  silly  tri 
fles  of  which  you  have  told  me  the  unhappy  man  was  so  fond, 
and  for  which  he  has  bartered  respectability  and  peace  of 
mind.  As  for  the  money  paid  this  ship  for  the  passage,  it  has 
been  fairly  earned,  nor  do  I  know  that  government  has  any 
power  to  reclaim  it." 

Mr.  Green  heard  this  opinion  with  still  greater  disgust  than 
he  had  felt  towards  the  language  of  Captain  Truck,  nor  could 
he  very  well  prevent  his  feelings  escaping  him  in  words. 

"  We  truly  live  in  perilous  times,"  he  muttered,  speaking 
more  particularly  to  John  Effingham,  out  of  respect  to  his  ap 
pearance,  "when  the  scions  of  the  nobility  entertain  notions  so 
loose.  We  have  vainly  fancied  in  England  that  the  enormities 
of  the  French  revolution  were  neutralized  by  Billy  Pitt ;  but, 
sir,  we  still  live  in  perilous  times,  for  the  disease  has  fairly 
reached  the  higher  classes.  I  hear  that  designs  are  seriously 
entertained  against  the  wigs  of  the  judges  and  bishops,  and  the 
next  thing  will  be  the  throne  !  All  our  venerable  institutions 
are  in  danger." 

"  I  should  think  the  throne  might  indeed  be  in  danger,  sir," 
returned  John  Effingham,  gravely,  "  if  it  reposes  on  wigs." 


H  O  M  E  W  A  R  D     B  O  U  N  D  .  515 

"  It  is  my  duty,  Captain  Truck,"  continued  Captain  Ducie, 
who  was  a  man  so  very  different  from  his  associate  that  he 
scarcely  seemed  to  belong  to  the  same  species,  "  to  request  you 
will  deliver  to  us  the  person  of  the  culprit,  with  his  effects, 
when  we  can  relieve  you  and  your  passengers  from  the  pain  of 
witnessing  any  more  of  this  unpleasant  scene." 

At  the  sound  of  the  delivery  of  his  person,  all  the  danger  of 
his  situation  rushed  forcibly  before  the  imagination  of  the  cul 
prit.  His  face  flushed  and  became  pale,  and  his  legs  refused  to 
support  him,  though  he  made  a  desperate  effort  to  rise. 

After  an  instant  of  silence,  he  turned  to  the  commander  of 
the  corvette,  and,  in  piteous  accents,  appealed  to  him  for  mercy. 

"  I  have  been  punished  severely  already,"  he  continued,  as 
his  voice  returned,  "  for  the  savage  Arabs  robbed  me  of  every 
thing  I  had  of  any  value.  These  gentlemen  know  that  they  took 
my  dressing-case,  several  other  curious  and  valuable  articles  for 
the  toilet,  and  nearly  all  my  clothes." 

"  This  man  is  scarcely  a  responsible  being,"  said  John  Effing- 
ham,  "  for  a  childish  vanity  supplies  the  place  of  principles, 
self-respect,  and  duty.  With  a  sister  scorned  on  account  of 
his  crimes,  conviction  beyond  denial,  and  a  dread  punishment 
staring  him  in  the  face,  his  thoughts  still  run  on  trifles." 

Captain  Ducie  gave  a  look  of  pity  at  the  miserable  young 
man,  and,  by  his  countenance,  it  was  plain  to  see  that  he  felt  no 
relish  for  his  duty.  Still,  he  felt  himself  bound  to  urge  on  Cap 
tain  Truck  a  compliance  with  his  request.  The  master  of  the 
packet  was  a  good  deal  divided  by  an  inherent  dislike  of  seem 
ing  to  yield  any  thing  to  a  British  naval  officer,  a  class  of  men 
whom  he  learned  in  early  life  most  heartily  to  dislike  ;  his  kind 
feelings  towards  this  particular  specimen  of  the  class ;  a  reluct 
ance  to  give  a  man  up  to  a  probable  death,  or  some  other 
severe  punishment ;  and  a  distaste  to  being  thought  desirous  of 
harboring  a  rogue.  In  this  dilemma,  therefore,  he  addressed 
himself  to  John  Effingham  for  counsel. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  hear  your  opinion,  sir,  on  this  mat- 


516  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

ter,"  he  said,  looking  at  the  gentleman  just  named,  "  for  I  own 
myself  to  be  in  a  category.  Ought  we,  or  not,  to  deliver  up 
the  culprit  ?" 

"  Fiatjustitia  mat  ccelum"  answered  John  Effingham,  who 
never  fancied  any  one  could  be  ignorant  of  the  meaning  of  these 
familiar  words. 

"  That  I  believe  indeed  to  be  Vattel,"  said  Captain  Truck ; 
"but  exceptions  alter  rules.  This  young  man  has  some 
claims  on  us  on  account  of  his  conduct  when  in  front  of  the 
Arabs." 

"  He  fought  for  himself,  sir,  and  has  the  merit  of  preferring 
liberty  in  a  ship  to  slavery  in  the  desert." 

"  I  think  with  Mr.  John  Effingham,"  observed  Mr.  Dodge, 
"  and  can  see  no  redeeming  quality  in  his  conduct  on  that  oc 
casion.  He  did  what  we  all  did ;  or,  as  Mr.  John  Effingham 
has  so  pithily  expressed  it,  he  preferred  liberty  in  our  company 
to  being  an  Arab's  slave." 

"  You  will  not  deliver  me  up,  Captain  Truck !"  exclaimed 
the  delinquent.  "  They  will  hang  me,  if  once  in  their  power. 
Oh  !  you  will  not  have  the  heart  to  let  them  hang  me !" 

Captain  Truck  was  startled  at  this  appeal,  but  he  sternly  re 
minded  the  culprit  that  it  was  too  late  to  remember  the  pun 
ishment  when  the  crime  was  committed. 

"  Never  fear,  Mr.  Sandon,"  said  the  office-man  with  a  sneer ; 
"  these  gentlemen  will  take  you  to  New  York,  for  the  sake  of 
the  thousand  pounds,  if  they  can.  A  rogue  is  pretty  certain  of 
a  kind  reception  in  America,  I  hear." 

"  Then,  sir,"  exclaimed  Captain  Truck,  "  you  had  better  go 
in  with  us." 

"Mr.  Green,  Mr.  Green,  this  is  indiscreet,  to  call  it  by  no 
worse  a  term,"  interposed  Captain  Ducie,  who,  while  he  was 
not  free  from  a  good  deal  of  the  prejudices  of  his  companion, 
was  infinitely  better  bred,  and  more  in  the  habit  of  command 
ing  himself. 

"Mr.  John  Effingham,  you  have  heard  this  wanton  insult," 


HOME  WARD      BOUND.  517 

continued  Captain  Truck,  suppressing  his  wrath  as  well  as  he 
could :  "in  what  manner  ought  it  to  be  resented  ?" 

'k  Command  the  offender  to  quit  your  ship  instantly,"  said 
John  Effingham  firmly. 

Captain  Ducie  started,  and  his  face  flushed  ;  but  disregarding 
him  altogether,  Captain  Truck  walked  deliberately  up  to  Mi1. 
Green,  and  ordered  him  to  go  into  the  corvette's  boat. 

"  I  shall  allow  of  neither  parley  nor  delay,"  added  the  ex 
asperated  old  seaman,  struggling  to  appear  cool  and  dignified, 
though  his  vocation  was  little  for  the  latter.  "  Do  me  the  favor, 
sir,  to  permit  me  to  see  you  into  your  boat,  sir.  Saunders,  go 
on  deck,  and  tell  Mr.  Leach  to  have  the  side  manned — with 
three  side  boys,  Saunders ; — and  now  I  ask  it  as  the  greatest 
possible  favor,  that  you  will  walk  on  deck  with  me,  or — or — 
damn  me,  but  I'll  drag  you  there,  neck  and  heels!" 

It  was  too  much  for  Captain  Truck  to  seem  calm  when  he 
was  in  a  towering  passion,  and  the  outbreak  at  the  close  of  this 
speech  was  accompanied  by  a  gesture  with  a  hand  which  was 
open,  it  is  true,  but  from  which  none  of  the  arts  of  his  more 
polite  days  could  erase  the  knobs  and  hue  that  had  been  ac 
quired  in  early  life. 

"  This  is  strong  language,  sir,  to  use  to  a  British  officer,  under 
the  guns  of  a  British  cruiser,"  exclaimed  the  commander  of  the 
corvette. 

"  And  his  was  strong  language  to  use  to  a  man  in  his  own 
country  and  in  his  own  ship.  To  you,  Captain  Ducie,  I  have 
nothing  to  say,  unless  it  be  to  say  you  are  welcome.  But  your 
companion  has  indulged  in  a  coarse  insult  on  my  country,  and 
damn  me  if  I  submit  to  it,  if  I  never  see  St.  Catherine's  Docks 
again.  I  had  too  much  of  this  when  a  young  man,  to  wish  to 
find  it  repeated  while  an  old  one." 

Captain  Ducie  bit  his  lip,  and  he  looked  exceedingly  vexed. 
Although  he  had  himself  blindly  imbibed  the  notion  that  Ame 
rica  would  gladly  receive  the  devil  himself  if  he  came  with  a 
full  pocket,  he  was  shocked  with  the  coarseness  that  would 


518  HOME  WARD     BOUND. 

throw  such  an  inuendo  into  the  very  faces  of  the  people  of  the 
country.  On  the  other  hand,  his  pride  as  an  officer  was  hurt 
at  the  menace  of  Captain  Truck,  and  all  the  former  harmony 
of  the  scene  was  threatened  with  a  sudden  termination.  Cap 
tain  Ducie  had  been  struck  with  the  gentlemanlike  appearance 
of  both  the  Effinghams,  to  say  nothing  of  Eve,  the  instant  his 
foot  touched  the  deck  of  the  Montauk,  and  he  now  turned  with 
a  manner  of  reproach  to  John  Effingham,  and  said, — 

"  Surely,  sir,  you  cannot  sustain  Mr.  Truck  in  his  extraordi 
nary  conduct !" 

"  You  will  pardon  me  if  I  say  I  do.  The  man  has  been  per 
mitted  to  remain  longer  in  the  ship  than  I  would  have  suffered." 

"  And,  Mr.  Powis,  what  is  your  opinion  ?" 

"I  fear,"  said  Paul,  smiling  coldly,  "that  I  should  have 
knocked  him  down  on  the  spot." 

"  Templemore,  are  you,  too,  of  this  way  of  thinking?" 

"  I  fear  the  speech  of  Mr.  Green  has  been  without  sufficient 
thought.  On  reflection  he  will  recall  it." 

But  Mr.  Green  would  sooner  part  with  life  than  part  with  a 
prejudice,  and  he  shook  his  head  in  the  negative  in  a  way  to 
show  that  his  mind  was  made  up. 

"  This  is  trifling,"  added  Captain  Truck.  "  Saunders,  go  on 
deck,  and  tell  Mr.  Leach  to  send  down  through  the  skylight  a 
single  whip,  that  we  may  whip  this  polite  personage  on  deck ; 
and,  harkee,  Saunders,  let  there  be  another  on  the  yard,  that 
we  may  send  him  into  his  boat  like  an  anker  of  gin !" 

"  This  is  proceeding  too  far,"  said  Captain  Ducie.  "  Mr. 
Green,  you  will  oblige  me  by  retiring ;  there  can  be  no  suspicion 
cast  on  a  vessel  of  war  for  conceding  a  little  to  an  unarmed  ship." 

"  A  vessel  of  war  should  not  insult  an  unarmed  ship,  sir !" 
rejoined  Captain  Truck,  pithily. 

Captain  Ducie  again  colored ;  but  as  he  had  decided  on  his 
course,  lie  had  the  prudence  to  remain  silent.  In  the  mean 
time  Mr.  Green  sullenly  took  his  hat  and  papers,  and  withdrew 
into  the  boat;  though,  on  his  return  to  London,  he  did  not  fail 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  519 

to  give  such  a  version  of  the  affair  as  went  altogether  to  cor 
roborate  all  his  own,  and  his  friends'  previous  notions  of  Ame 
rica;  and,  what  is  equally  singular,  he  religiously  believed  all 
he  had  said  on  the  occasion. 

"  What  is  now  to  be  done  with  this  unhappy  man  ?"  inquired 
Captain  Ducie  when  order  was  a  little  restored. 

The  misunderstanding  was  an  unfortunate  affair  for  the 
culprit.  Captain  Truck  felt  a  strong  reluctance  to  deliver  him 
up  to  justice  after  all  they  had  gone  through  together;  but 
the  gentlemanlike  conduct  of  the  English  commander,  the  con 
sciousness  of  having  triumphed  in  the  late  conflict,  and  a  deep 
regard  for  the  law,  united  on  the  other  hand  to  urge  him  to 
yield  the  unfortunate  and  weak-minded  offender  to  his  own 
authorities. 

"  You  do  not  claim  a  right  to  take  him  out  of  an  American 
ship  by  violence,  if  I  understand  you,  Captain  Ducie  ?" 

"  I  do  not.     My  instructions  are  merely  to  demand  him." 

"That  is  according  to  Vattel.  By  demand  you  mean,  to  re 
quest,  to  ask  for  him  ?" 

"I  mean  to  request,  to  ask  for  him,"  returned  the  English 
man,  smiling. 

"  Then  take  him,  of  God's  name ;  and  may  your  laws  be 
more  merciful  to  the  wretch  than  he  has  been  to  himself,  or  to 
his  kin." 

Mr.  Sandon  shrieked,  and  he  threw  himself  abjectly  on  his 
knees  between  the  two  captains,  grasping  the  legs  of  both. 

"  Oh  !  hear  me  !  hear  me  !"  he  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  anguish. 
"I  have  given  up  the  money,  I  will  give  it  all  up!  all  to  the 
last  shilling,  if  you  will  let  me  go !  You,  Captain  Truck,  by 
whose  side  I  have  fought  and  toiled,  you  will  not  have  the 
heart  to  abandon  me  to  these  murderers !" 

"It'sd d  hard !"  muttered  the  captain,  actually  wiping 

his  eyes ;  "  but  it  is  what  you  have  drawn  upon  yourself,  I  fear. 
Get  a  good  lawyer,  my  poor  fellow,  as  soon  as  you  arrive ;  and 
it's  an  even  chance,  after  all,  that  you  go  free !" 


520  H  O  M  E  Vr  A  R  D      BOUND. 

"  Miserable  wretch !"  said  Mr.  Dodge,  confronting  the  still 
kneeling  and  agonized  delinquent.  "  Wretch  !  these  are  the 
penalties  of  guilt.  You  have  forged  and  stolen,  acts  that  meet 
with  my  most  unqualified  disapprobation,  and  you  are  unfit  for 
respectable  society.  I  saw  from  the  very  first  what  you  truly 
were,  and  permitted  myself  to  associate  with  you,  merely  to 
detect  and  expose  you,  in  order  that  you  might  not  bring  dis 
grace  on  our  beloved  country.  An  impostor  has  no  chance  in 
America ;  and  you  are  fortunate  in  beinof  taken  back  to  vour 

v  Si/ 

own  hemisphere." 

Mr.  Dodge  belonged  to  a  tolerably  numerous  class,  that  is 
quaintly  described  as  being  "  law  honest ;"  that  is  to  say,  he 
neither  committed  murder  nor  petty  larceny.  When  he  was 
guilty  of  moral  slander,  he  took  great  care  that  it  should  not 
be  legal  slander ;  and,  although  his  whole  life  was  a  tissue  of 
mean  and  baneful  vices,  he  was  quite  innocent  of  all  those 
enormities  that  usually  occupy  the  attention  of  a  panel  of  twelve 
men.  This,  in  his  eyes,  raised  him  so  far  above  less  prudent 
sinners  as  to  give  him  a  right  to  address  his  quondam  associate 
as  has  been  just  related.  But  the  agony  of  the  culprit  was 
past  receiving  an  increase  from  this  brutal  attack ;  he  merely 
motioned  the  coarse-minded  sycophant  and  demagogue  awrav, 
and  continued  his  appeals  to  the  two  captains  for  mercy.  At 
this  moment  Paul  Powis  stepped  up  to  the  editor,  and  in  a  low 
but  firm  voice  ordered  him  to  quit  the  cabin. 

"I  will  pray  for  you — be  your  slave — do  all  you  ask,  if  you 
will  not  give  me  up !"  continued  the  culprit,  fairly  writhing  in 
his  agony.  "  Oh !  Captain  Ducie,  as  an  English  nobleman, 
have  mercy  on  me." 

"  I  must  transfer  the  duty  to  subordinates,"  said  the  English 
commander,  a  tear  actually  standing  in  his  eye.  "  Will  you 
permit  a  party  of  armed  marines  to  take  this  unhappy  being 
from  your  ship,  sir  ?" 

"  Perhaps  this  will  be  the  best  course,  as  he  will  yield  only  to  a 
show  of  force.  I  see  no  objection  to  this,  Mr.  John  Effingham  ?" 


HO  ME  WARD     BOUND.  521 

"None  iii  the  world,  sir.  It  is  your  object  to  clear  your 
ship  of  a  delinquent,  and  let  those  among  whom  he  committed 
the  fault  be  the  agents." 

"  Ay — ay !  this  is  what  Vattel  calls  the  comity  of  nations. 
Captain  Ducie,  I  beg  you  will  issue  your  orders." 

The  English  commander  had  foreseen  some  difficulty,  and, 
in  sending  away  his  boat  when  he  came  below,  he  had  sent  for 
a  corporal's  guard.  These  men  were  now  in  a  cutter,  near  the 
ship,  lying  off  on  their  oars,  in  a  rigid  respect  to  the  rights  of 
a  stranger,  however, — as  Captain  Truck  was  glad  to  see,  the 
whole  party  having  gone  on  deck  as  soon  as  the  arrangement 
was  settled.  At  an  order  from  their  commander  the  marines 
boarded  the  Montauk,  and  proceeded  below7  in  quest  of  their 
prisoner. 

Mr.  Sandon  had  been  left  alone  in  Eve's  cabin ;  but  as  soon 
as  he  found  himself  at  liberty,  he  hurried  into  his  own  state 
room.  Captain  Truck  went  below,  while  the  marines  were  en 
tering  the  ship  ;  and,  having  passed  a  minute  in  his  own  room, 
he  stepped  across  the  cabin,  to  that  of  the  culprit.  Opening 
the  door  without  knocking,  he  found  the  unhappy  man  in  the 
very  act  of  applying  a  pistol  to  his  head,  his  own  hand  being 
just  in  time  to  prevent  the  catastrophe.  The  despair  portrayed 
in  the  face  of  the  criminal  prevented  reproach  or  remonstrance, 
for  Captain  Truck  was  a  man  of  few  words  when  it  was  neces 
sary  to  act.  Disarming  the  intended  suicide,  he  coolly  count 
ed  out  to  him  thirty-five  pounds,  the  money  paid  for  his  pas 
sage,  and  told  him  to  pocket  it. 

"  I  received  this  on  condition  of  delivering  you  safe  in  New 
York,"  he  said ;  "and  as  I  shall  fail  in  the  bargain,  I  think  it 
no  more  than  just  to  return  you  the  money.  It  may  help  you 
on  the  tiial." 

"  Will  they  hang  me  ?"  asked  Mi1.  Sandon  hoarsely,  and  with 
an  imbecility  like  that  of  an  infant. 

The  appearance  of  the  marines  prevented  reply,  the  prisoner 
was  secured,  his  effects  were  pointed  out,  and  his  person  was 


522  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

transferred  to  the  boat  with  the  usual  military  promptitude. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done  the  cutter  pulled  away  from  the 
packet,  and  was  soon  hoisted  in  again  on  the  corvette's  deck. 
That  day  month  the  unfortunate  victim  of  a  passion  for  trifles 
committed  suicide  in  London,  just  as  they  were  about  to  trans 
fer  him  to  Newgate ;  and  six  months  later  his  unhappy  sister 
died  of  a  broken  heart. 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  523 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 


•'  We'll  attend  you  there: 
Where,  if  you  bring  not  Marcius,  we'll  proceed 
In  our  first  way."' 

CORIOLANUS. 


EVE  and  Mademoiselle  Viefville  had  been  unwilling  specta 
tors  of  a  portion  of  the  foregoing  scene,  and  Captain  Ducie  felt 
a  desire  to  apologize  for  the  part  he  had  been  obliged  to  act  in 
it.  For  this  purpose  he  had  begged  his  friend  the  baronet  to 
solicit  a  more  regular  introduction  than  that  received  through 
Captain  Truck. 

"  My  friend  Ducie  is  solicitous  to  be  introduced,  Miss  Effing- 
ham,  that  he  may  urge  something  in  his  own  behalf  concern 
ing  the  commotion  he  has  raised  among  us." 

A  graceful  assent  brought  the  young  commander  forward, 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  named  he  made  a  very  suitable  expres 
sion  of  his  regret  to  the  ladies,  who  received  it  as  a  matter  of 
course,  favorably. 

"This  is  a  new  duty  to  me,  the  arrest  of  criminals,"  added 
Captain  Ducie. 

The  word  criminals  sounded  harsh  to  the  ear  of  Eve,  and 
she  felt  her  cheek  becoming  pale. 

"  Much  as  we  regret  the  cause,"  observed  the  father,  "  we 
c-an  spare  the  person  you  are  about  to  take  from  us  without 
much  pain ;  for  ive  have  known  him  for  an  impostor  from  the 
moment  he  appeared.  Is  there  not  some  mistake  ?  That  is 
the  third  trunk  that  I  have  seen  passed  into  the  boat  marked 
P.  P." 


524  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

Captain  Ducie  smiled,  and  answered, — 

"  You  will  call  it  a  bad  pun  if  I  say  P.  P.  see,"  pointing  to 
Paul,  who  was  coming  from  the  cabin  attended  by  Captain 
Truck.  The  latter  was  conversing  warmly,  gesticulating  to 
wards  the  corvette,  and  squeezing  his  companion's  hand. 

"Am  I  to  understand,"  said  Mr.  Effingham  earnestly,  "that 
Mr.  Powis,  too,  is  to  quit  us  ?" 

"He  does  me  the  favor,  also," — Captain  Ducie's  lip  curled  a 
little  at  the  word/aver, — "to  accompany  me  to  England." 

Good  breeding  and  intense  feeling  caused  a  profound  silence, 
until  the  young  man  himself  approached  the  party.  Paul  en 
deavored  to  be  calm,  and  he  even  forced  a  smile  as  he  address 
ed  his  friends. 

"  Although  I  escape  the  honors  of  a  marine  guard,"  he  said, 
— and  Eve  thought  he  said  it  bitterly,  "  I  am  also  to  be  taken 
out  of  the  ship.  Chance  has  several  times  thrown  me  into 
your  society,  Mr.  Effingham — Miss  Effingham — and,  should  the 
same  good  fortune  ever  again  occur,  I  hope  I  may  be  permitted 
to  address  you  at  once  as  an  old  acquaintance.'' 

"We  shall  always  entertain  a  most  grateful  recollection 
of  your  important  services,  Mr.  Powis,"  returned  the  father; 
"and  I  shall  not  cease  to  wish  that  the  day  may  soon  ar 
rive  when  I  can  have  the  pleasure  of  receiving  you  under  my 
own  roof." 

Paul  now  offered  to  take  the  hand  of  Mademoiselle  Vief- 
ville,  which  he  kissed  gallantly.  He  did  the  same  with  Eve's, 
though  she  felt  him  tremble  in  the  attempt.  As  these  ladies 
had  lived  much  in  countries  in  which  this  graceful  mode  of 
salutation  prevails  among  intimates,  the  act  passed  as  a  matter 
of  course. 

With  Sir  George  Templemore,  Paul  parted  with  every  sign 
of  good-will.  The  people,  to  whom  he  had  caused  a  liberal 
donation  to  be  made,  gave  him  three  cheers,  for  they  under 
stood  his  professional  merits  at  least ;  and  Saunders,  who  had 
not  been  forgotten,  attended  him  assiduously  to  the  side  of  the 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  525 

ship.  Here  Mr.  Leach  called,  "the  Foam's  away  !"  and  Cap 
tain  Ducie's  gig  was  manned.  At  the  gangway  Captain  Truck 
again  shook  Paul  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  whispered  some 
thing  in  his  ear. 

Every  thing  being  now  ready,  the  two  gentlemen  prepared 
to  go  into  the  boat.  As  Eve  watched  all  that  passed  with  an 
almost  breathless  anxiety,  a  little  ceremonial  that  now  took 
place  caused  her  much  pain.  Hitherto  the  manner  of  Captain 
Ducie,  as  respected  his  companion,  had  struck  her  as  equivo 
cal.  At  times  it  was  haughty  and  distant,  while  at  others  it 
had  appeared  more  conciliatory  and  kind.  All  these  little 
changes  she  had  noted  with  a  jealous  interest,  and  the  slightest 
appearance  of  respect  or  of  disrespect  was  remarked,  as  if  it 
could  furnish  a  clue  to  the  mystery  of  the  whole  procedure. 

"  Your  boat  is  ready,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Leach,  stepping  out 
of  the  gangway  to  give  way  to  Paul,  who  stood  nearest  to  the 
ladder. 

The  latter  was  about  to  proceed,  when  he  was  touched  light 
ly  on  the  shoulder  by  Captain  Ducie,  who  smiled,  Eve  thought 
haughtily,  and  intimated  a  desire  to  precede  him.  Paul  color 
ed,  bowed,  and  falling  back,  permitted  the  English  officer  to 
enter  his  own  boat  first. 

"  Apparemment  ce  capitaine  Anglais  est  un  pen  sans  f aeon — 
Voila  qui  est  poll!"  whispered  Mademoiselle  Viefville. 

"  These  commanders  of  vessels  of  war  are  little  kings,"  quiet 
ly  observed  Mr.  Effingham,  who  had  unavoidably  noticed  the 
whole  procedure. 

The  gig  was  soon  clear  of  the  ship,  and  both  the  gentlemen 
repeated  their  adieus  to  those  on  deck.  To  reach  the  corvette, 
to  enter  her,  and  to  have  the  gig  swinging  on  her  quarter  oc 
cupied  but  five  minutes. 

Both  ships  now  filled  away,  and  the  corvette  began  to  throw 
out  one  sheet  of  cloth  after  another  until  she  was  under  a  cloud 
of  canvas,  again  standing  to  the  eastward  with  studding-sails 
alow  and  aloft.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Montauk  laid  her 


526  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

yards  square,  and  ran  down  to  the  Hook.  The  pilot  from  the 
corvette  had  been  sent  on  board  the  packet,  and,  the  wind 
standing,  by  eleven  o'clock  the  latter  had  crossed  the  bar.  At 
this  moment  the  low  dark  stern  of  the  Foam  resembled  a  small 
black  spot  on  the  sea  sustaining  a  pyramid  of  cloud. 

"  You  were  not  on  deck,  John,  to  take  leave  of  our  young- 
friend  Powis,"  said  Mr.  Effingham,  reproachfully. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  witness  a  ceremony  of  this  extraordinary 
nature.  And  yet  it  might  have  been  better  if  I  had." 

"  Better,  cousin  Jack !" 

"  Better.  Poor  Monday  committed  to  my  care  certain  pa 
pers  that,  I  fancy,  are  of  moment  to  some  one,  and  these  I  in 
trusted  to  Mr.  Powis,  with  a  view  to  examine  them  together 
when  we  should  get  in.  In  the  hurry  of  parting,  he  has  car 
ried  them  off." 

"  They  may  be  reclaimed  by  writing  to  London,"  said  Mr. 
Effing-ham  quietly.  "  Have  you  his  address  ?" 

"  I  asked  him  for  it,  but  the  question  appeared  to  embarrass 
him." 

"  Embarrass,  cousin  Jack !" 

"  Embarrass,  Miss  Effingham.' 

The  subject  was  now  dropped  by  common  consent.  A  few 
moments  of  awkward  silence  succeeded,  when  the  interest  in 
separable  from  a  return  home,  after  an  absence  of  years,  began 
to  resume  its  influence,  and  objects  on  the  land  were  noticed. 
The  sudden  departure  of  Paul  was  not  forgotten,  however,  for 
it  continued  the  subject  of  wonder  with  all  for  weeks,  though 
little  more  was  said  on  the  subject. 

The  ship  was  soon  abreast  of  the  Hook,  which  Eve  com 
pared,  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  celebrated  American  haven, 
with  the  rocky  promontories  and  picturesque  towers  of  the 
Mediterranean. 

"This  portion  of  our  bay,  at  least,  is  not  very  admirable," 
she  said,  "though  there  is  a  promise  of  something  better 
above." 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  527 

"Some  New  York  cockney,  who  has  wandered  from  the 
crackling  heat  of  his  Nott  stove,  has  taken  it  into  his  poetical 
imagination  to  liken  this  bay  to  that  of  Naples,"  said  John 
Effing-ham ;  "  and  his  fellow-citizens  greedily  swallow  the  ab 
surdity,  although  there  is  scarcely  a  single  feature  in  common 
to  give  the  foolish  opinion  value." 

"  But  the  bay  above  is  beautiful !" 

"  Barely  pretty ;  when  one  has  seen  it  alone,  for  many 
years,  and  has  forgotten  the  features  of  other  bays,  it  does  not 
appear  amiss;  but  you,  fresh  from  the  bolder  landscapes  of 
Southern  Europe,  will  be  disappointed." 

Eve,  an  ardent  admirer  of  nature,  heard  this  with  regret,  for 
she  had  as  much  confidence  in  the  taste  of  her  kinsman  as  in 
his  love  of  truth.  She  knew  he  was  superior  to  the  vulgar 
vanity  of  giving  an  undue  merit  to  a  thing  because  he  had  a 
right  of  property  in  it ;  was  a  man  of  the  world,  and  knew 
what  he  uttered  on  all  such  matters ;  had  not  a  particle  of  pro 
vincial  admiration  or  of  provincial  weakness  in  his  composition; 
and,  although  as  ready  as  another,  and  far  more  able  than 
most,  to  defend  his  country  and  her  institutions  from  the  rude 
assault  of  her  revilers,  that  he  seldom  made  the  capital  mistake 
of  attempting  to  defend  a  weak  point. 

The  scenery  greatly  improved,  in  fact,  however,  as  the  ship 
advanced ;  and  while  she  went  through  the  pass  called  the 
Narrows,  Eve  expressed  her  delight.  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
was  in  ecstasies,  not  so  much  with  the  beauties  of  the  place  as 
with  the  change  from  the  monotony  of  the  ocean  to  the  move 
ment  and  liveliness  of  the  shore. 

"You  think  this  noble  scenery ?"  said  John  Effingham. 

"  As  far  from  it  as  possible,  cousin  Jack.  I  see  much  mean 
ness  and  poverty  in  the  view,  but  at  the  same  time  it  has 
fine  parts.  The  islands  are  not  Italian,  certainly ;  nor  these 
hills,  nor  yet  that  line  of  distant  rocks :  but,  together,  they 
form  a  pretty  bay,  and  a  noble  one  in  extent  and  uses,  at 
least." 


528  HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

"  All  this  is  true.  Perhaps  the  earth  does  not  contain  an 
other  port  with  so  many  advantages  for  commerce.  In  this 
respect  I  think  it  positively  unequalled ;  but  I  know  a  hundred 
bays  that  surpass  it  in  beauty.  Indeed,  in  the  Mediterranean 
it  is  not  easy  to  find  a  natural  haven  that  does  not." 

Eve  was  too  fresh  from  the  gorgeous  coast  of  Italy  to  be  in 
ecstasies  with  the  meager  villages  and  villas  that,  more  or  less, 
lined  the  bay  of  New  York ;  but  when  they  reached  a  point 
where  the  view  of  the  two  rivers,  separated  by  the  town,  came 
before  them,  with  the  heights  of  Brooklyn — heights  compara 
tively  if  not  positively — on  one  side,  and  the  receding  wall  of 
the  palisadoes  on  the  other,  Eve  insisted  that  the  scene  was 
positively  fine. 

"  You  have  well  chosen  your  spot,"  said  John  Effingham  ; 
"  but  even  this  is  barely  good.  There  is  nothing  surpassing 
about  it." 

"  But  it  is  home,  cousin  Jack." 

"  It  is  home,  Miss  Effingham,"  he  answered,  gaping;  "and 
as  you  have  no  cargo  to  sell,  I  fear  you  will  find  it  an  exceed 
ingly  dull  one." 

"  We  shall  see — we  shall  see,"  returned  Eve,  laughing. 
Then,  looking  about  her  for  a  few  minutes,  she  added,  with  a 
manner  in  which  real  and  affected  vexation  were  prettily 
blended,  "  In  one  thing  I  do  confess  myself  disappointed." 

"  You  will  be  happy,  my  dear,  if  it  be  in  only  one." 

"These  smaller  vessels  are  less  picturesque  than  those  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  see." 

"You  have  hit  upon  a  very  sound  criticism,  and,  by  going  a 
little  deeper  into  the  subject,  you  will  discover  a  singular  defi 
ciency  in  this  part  of  an  American  landscape.  The  great 
height  of  the  spars  of  all  the  smaller  vessels  of  these  waters, 
when  compared  with  the  tame  and  level  coast,  river  banks, 
and  the  formation  of  the  country  in  general,  has  the  effect 
to  diminish  still  more  the  outlines  of  any  particular  scene. 
Beautiful  as  it  is,  beyond  all  competition,  the  Hudson  would 


HOMEWARD     BOUND.  529 

seern  still  more  so,  were  it  not  for  these  high  and  ungainly 
spars." 

The  pilot  now  began  to  shorten  sail,  and  the  ship  drew  into 
that  arm  of  the  sea  which,  by  a  misnomer  peculiarly  American, 
it  is  the  fashion  to  call  the  East  River.  Here  our  heroine  can 
didly  expressed  her  disappointment,  the  town  seeming  mean 
and  insignificant.  The  Battery,  of  which  she  remembered  a 
little,  and  had  heard  so  much,  although  beautifully  placed,  dis 
appointed  her,  for  it  had  neither  the  extent  and '  magnificence 
of  a  park  nor  the  embellishments  and  luxurious  shades  of  a 
garden.  As  she  had  been  told  that  her  countrymen  were  al 
most  ignorant  of  the  art  of  landscape  gardening,  she  was  not  so 
much  disappointed  with  this  spot,  however,  as  with  the  air  of 
the  town,  and  the  extreme  filth  and  poverty  of  the  quays.  Un 
willing  to  encourage  John  Effingham  in  his  disposition  to  cen 
sure,  she  concealed  her  opinions  for  a  time. 

"There  is  less  improvement  here  than  even  I  expected," 
said  Mr.  Effingham,  as  they  got  into  a  coach  on  the  wharf. 
"  They  had  taught  me,  John,  to  expect  great  improvements." 

"  And  great,  very  great  improvements  have  been  made  in 
your  absence.  If  you  could  see  this  place  as  you  knew  it  in 
youth,  the  alterations  would  seem  marvellous." 

"  I  cannot  admit  this.  With  Eve,  I  think  the  place  mean 
in  appearance,  rather  than  imposing,  and  so  decidedly  provin 
cial  as  not  to  possess  a  single  feature  of  a  capital." 

"  The  two  things  are  not  irreconcilable,  Ned,  if  you  will  take 
the  trouble  to  tax  your  memory.  The  place  is  mean  and  pro 
vincial,  but  thirty  years  since  it  was  still  meaner  and  more 
provincial  than  it  is  to-day.  A  century  hence  it  will  begin  to 
resemble  a  large  European  town."  , 

"  What  odious  objects  these  posts  are !"  cried  Eve. 

"  They  give  the  streets  the  air  of  a  village,  and  I  do  not  see 
their  uses." 

"  These  posts  are  for  awnings,  and  of  themselves  they  prove 
23 


5t30  HOMEWARD     BOUND. 

the  peculiar  country  character  of  the  place.  If  you  will  re 
flect,  however,  you  will  see  it  could  not  well  be  otherwise. 
This  town  to-day  contains  near  three  hundred  thousand  souls, 
two-thirds  of  whom  are  in  truth  emigrants  from  the  interior  of 
our  own  or  of  some  foreign  country ;  and  such  a  collection  of 
people  cannot  in  a  day  give  a  town  any  other  character  than 
that  which  belongs  to  themselves.  It  is  not  a  crime  to  be  pro 
vincial  and  rustic;  it  is  only  ridiculous  to  fancy  yourselves 
otherwise,  when  the  fact  is  apparent." 

"The  streets  seem  deserted.  I  had  thought  New  York  a 
crowded  town." 

"  And  yet  this  is  Broadway — a  street  that  every  American 
will  tell  you  is  so  crowded  as  to  render  respiration  impossible." 

"John  Effingham  excepted,"  said  Mr.  Effingham,  smiling. 

"  Is  this  Broadway  ?"  cried  Eve,  fairly  appalled. 

"Beyond  a  question.     Are  you  not  smothered?" 

Eve  continued  silent  until  the  carriage  reached  the  door  of 
her  fathers  house.  On  the  other  hand,  Mademoiselle  Viefville 
expressed  herself  delighted  with  all  she  saw — a  circumstance 
that  might  have  deceived  a  native  of  the  country,  who  did  not 
know  how  to  explain  her  raptures.  In  the  first  place  she  was 
a  French  woman,  and  accustomed  to  say  pleasant  things; 
then  she  was  just  relieved  from  an  element  she  detested,  and 
the  land  was  pleasant  in  her  eyes.  But  the  principal  reason 
is  still  in  reserve :  Mademoiselle  Viefville,  like  most  Europeans, 
had  regarded  America  not  merely  as  a  provincial  country,  and 
this  without  a  high  standard  of  civilization  for  a  province,  as 
the  truth  would  have  shown,  but  as  a  semi-barbarous  quarter 
of  the  world ;  and  the  things  she  saw  so  much  surpassed  her 
expectations  that  she  was  delighted,  as  it  might  be,  by  con 
trast. 

As  we  shall  have  a  future  occasion  to  speak  of  the  dwelling 
of  Mr.  Effingham,  and  to  accompany  the  reader  much  farther 
in  the  histories  of  our  several  characters,  we  shall  pass  over 


HOMEWARD      BOUND.  531 

the  feelings  of  Eve  when  fairly  established  that  wight  under 
her  own  roof.  The  next  morning,  however,  when  she  de 
scended  to  breakfast,  she  was  met  by  John  Effingham,  who 
gravely  pointed  to  the  following  paragraph  in  one  of  the  daily 
journals : 

"  The  Montauk,  London  packet,  which  has  been  a  little  out 
of  time,  arrived  yesterday,  as  reported  in  our  marine  news. 
This  ship  has  met  with  various  interesting  adventures,  that,  we 
are  happy  to  hear,  will  shortly  be  laid  before  the  world  by  one 
of  her  passengers,  a  gentleman  every  way  qualified  for  the 
task.  Among  the  distinguished  persons  arrived  in  this  ship  is 
our  contemporary,  Steadfast  Dodge,  Esquire,  whose  amusing 
and  instructing  letters  from  Europe  are  already  before  the 
world.  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  Mr.  Dodge  returns  home 
better  satisfied  than  ever  with  his  own  country,  which  he  declares 
to  be  quite  good  enough  for  him.  It  is  whispered  that  our 
literary  friend  has  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  some  recent 
events  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  though  his  extreme  and  well- 
known  modestv  renders  him  indisposed  to  speak  of  the  affair; 
but  we  forbear  ourselves,  out  of  respect  to  a  sensibility  that  we 
know  how  to  esteem ! 

"  His  Britannic  Majesty's  ship,  Foam,  whose  arrival  we  noticed 
a  day  or  two  since,  boarded  the  Montauk  off  the  Hook,  and 
took  out  of  her  two  criminals,  one  of  whom,  we  are  told,  was 
a  defaulter  for  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  pounds,  and  the 
other  a  deserter  from  the  king's  service,  though  a  scion  of  a 
noble  house.  More  of  this  to-morrow." 

The  moiTow  never  came,  for  some  new  incident  took  the  place 
of  the  promised  narration  :  a  people  who  do  not  give  them 
selves  time  to  eat,  and  with  whom  '•  go  ahead"  has  got  to  be  the 
substitute  of  even  religion,  little  troubling  themselves  to  go  back 
twenty-four  hours  in  search  of  a  fact. 

"This  must  be  a  base  falsehood,  cousin  Jack,"  said  Eve, 
as  she  laid  down  the  paper,  her  brow  flushed  with  an  indigna- 


532 


HOMEWARD      BOUND. 


tion  that,  for  the  moment,  proved  too  strong  for  even  appre 
hension. 

"  I  hope  it  may  turn  out  to  be  so,  and  yet  I  consider  the  affair 
sufficiently  singular  to  render  suspicion  at  least  natural." 

How  Eve  both  thought  and  acted  in  the  matter,  will  appear 
hereafter. 


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